Tag: business

Disability Bias: Deaf UPS Drivers Win ADA Suit

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that United Parcel Service (UPS) violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by maintaining a qualification standard that screened out deaf drivers, where the company could not show that the standard was required for business reasons.

Employment Law Tip: Four Cures for Workplace Stress

Employee job stress can take a heavy toll on your business—in high turnover, frequent illness, increased workers’ comp premiums, and reduced productivity. Fortunately, there are steps employers can take to ease job stress. The solution often lies in making organizational changes that will improve working conditions. Here are four ideas:

Human Resources: Should We Outsource HR Activities?

Our management has asked me to explore the possibility of outsourcing substantial parts of our HR function. (They’re not singling us out—other functions are doing the analysis, too). How can we tell what to outsource, and to whom?   — Tammy, HR director in Cupertino

Exempt Employees: Can We Make Exempts Punch a Clock?

We’re a little unsure about what we can require of our exempt employees without risking their exemptions. Can we make them punch a time clock or track their hours? We tried the time clock approach, but they resented it. They said we’re treating them like hourly workers. Also, can we make them work a minimum […]

Wage & Hour: Must We Pay Living Wage to All Employees?

Our city has a living wage ordinance in effect. Our operations are outside the city limits, but part of our business involves providing services to city agencies. Even though those services represent only a portion of our business, the city wants us to pay the higher living wage rate to all our employees since we […]

Short Takes: Terminations

When an employee recently resigned from our company, giving two weeks’ notice, his manager told him to pack up and leave immediately and he wouldn’t be paid beyond that day. Effectively, he fired the employee as of that day. This didn’t sit right with me, but is it illegal?