Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
President Bush has signed the Pension Protection Act of 2006 into law, which overhauls pension funding rules, clarifies cash balance plan rules, encourages automatic enrollment in 401(k) plans, and much more. The law spans a massive 907 pages, and we describe some of its key provisions here.
Domestic violence affects more than 32 million Americans each year, with more than 2 million injuries and approximately 1,300 deaths. As the scope of the problem underscores, domestic violence isn’t just a personal issue, but one that spills over into the workplace as well, affecting both men and women. What can employers do to help […]
A new poll conducted among 751 employed adults in the United States sheds some interesting light on how much time employees waste at work using company technology for personal reasons. The poll was conducted by Harris Interactive for workplace communications firm The Marlin Company.
Governor Schwarzenegger has signed S.B. 1613, which will make it an infraction to drive a motor vehicle while using a wireless phone unless a hands-free device is used. In particular, the new law, known as the California Wireless Telephone Automobile Safety Act, prohibits driving a motor vehicle while using a wireless telephone, unless the phone […]
If you’re like many California employers, your employee handbook contains a statement that employment is at-will, meaning that employees can be fired for any reason or no reason at all, providing the termination does not violate state or federal law. But have you checked your handbook to be sure it doesn’t contain provisions that undermine […]
In other legislation news, Gov. Schwarzenegger vetoed bills that would have required large employers to spend a certain percentage of their total wages on healthcare insurance and that would have created a single-payer government-run health care system.
Governor Schwarzenegger has signed into law A.B. 1835, which will boost California’s minimum wage to $8.00 over two years. The first increase, to $7.50, will take effect on Jan. 1, 2007, followed by the final increase to $8.00 on Jan. 1, 2008.
Summer vacations have come and gone, and now it’s back to the grindstone and staring at the computer screen for hours on end. If your employees spend a good portion of their work day in front of a computer, it’s wise to take steps to help prevent computer-related eyestrain. Here are four suggestions:
If your company is required to file an annual EEO-1 Form (Standard Form 100, rev. 3/97) with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), take note that the deadline is September 30, 2006. The EEO-1 report must be filed annually by employers with 100 or more employees or employers with federal government contracts of $50,000 or […]
A new Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling underscores that you are obligated to be truthful when you negotiate a union contract and should be prepared to substantiate the positions you take. We’ll explain how one employer got it wrong.