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This content was originally published in January 2000. For the latest in HR management, visit our archives or try our online compliance portal, HR.BLR.com. Terrorism in the form of kidnapping, extortion, and violence, plays no favorites. Businesses and business people have become as likely targets as government leaders. Executives of small companies as well as […]
Employers can expect continued uncertainty regarding whether they will need to adjust their plans, documents and policies to accommodate same-sex spouses. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on June 5 refused a petition that the full bench of the court rehear Perry v. Brown, Nos. 10-16696, 11-16577. That lets stand the ruling by a […]
At a hearing in Washington, D.C., earlier this month, the Internal Revenue Service heard opposing arguments on permitting employers to provide tax-free public transit benefits through cash reimbursement rather than vouchers or passes. As we’ve reported, proposed IRS rules would make it easier for employers to set up transportation spending accounts, which let you pay […]
The state Supreme Court has left in place a ruling that forces some church-backed institutions—such as hospitals and charity organizations—to pay for workers’ contraceptive health insurance benefits. Justices turned down an appeal from a Roman Catholic organization asking the court to overturn a requirement that employers who offer prescription benefits to employees also must cover […]
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has reported that the number of workers with injuries and illnesses requiring time away from work edged down in 2000, continuing a steady decline since 1992. Approximately 1.7 million injuries and illnesses occurred in 2000, a drop of about 2.3% from 1999. Some workers, however, continue to have high […]
The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently released industry-specific guidelines for preventing musculoskeletal disorders in grocery stores. These voluntary guidelines contain practical recommendations to help grocery store employers and employees reduce the number and severity of ergonomic injuries. OSHA says employers in other industries for which guidelines have not been developed may find […]
If you hire an employee who later turns out to be violent—and maybe injures a co-worker or a customer—you could get slapped with a negligent hiring lawsuit. How can you avoid this situation? Here are some steps to take:
A new absenteeism survey by Commerce Clearing House Inc. indicates that absenteeism costs climbed to an all-time high in 2002—even though absenteeism itself dropped slightly. Employers spent an annual average of $789 per employee for unscheduled days off, up from $755 in 2001. While workers listed illness as the most common reason for calling in […]
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has issued new enforcement guidelines stating for the first time that federal anti-discrimination laws protect undocumented workers. According to the EEOC, illegal immigrants who are subjected to workplace discrimination, sexual harassment or retaliation can sue their employers and receive lost wages, punitive damages and attorneys’ fees. A court could also […]