Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
The best way to account for employee absences during the holidays is to plan ahead. Creating a plan allows you to make sure that your company still has enough employees to operate while allowing time off to those who request vacation leave. Vacation leave is governed by the employer’s policies Remember that while neither federal […]
by Michael E. Barnsback For the past couple of years, the IRS has focused its enforcement efforts on the misclassification of independent contractors. Many employers improperly classify workers as independent contractors to avoid paying FICA taxes and providing benefits. Others make the mistake simply because they don’t understand the differences between the two classifications. Regardless, […]
by Jennifer L. Anderson Ebenezer Scrooge is the most infamous of employers — overworking and underpaying his employees, denying their vacation requests, and spreading holiday misery rather than holiday cheer. Fortunately, A Christmas Carol is fiction, and times have changed. These days, most of you decorate your offices, accommodate employees’ vacation requests, provide standard holidays […]
By Brian P. Smeenk It’s common practice across Canada, when settling a discrimination or wrongful termination claim, to agree that the deal will remain confidential. What can an employer do if employees fail to honor that agreement? What if they blab about the settlement to their coworkers?
Potential Liability: Angela and Trevor are going to jail. Dwight too? Not even Rainn Wilson’s recent video could keep us from watching this week’s episode, “The Target,” which featured a murder-for-hire plot, a giant comment-card pyramid, and Dwight’s pixelated genitalia. Yikes, indeed. Angela has discovered that her husband, The Senator, is having an affair with Oscar. She does not react well and […]
by Tammy Binford It’s hard to think of anything more sacred to employers than the doctrine of employment at will. Employers have long been advised to make sure their employees are aware of their at-will status, meaning that unless employees have an employment contract, they can be terminated for good reason, bad reason, or no […]
HR has been working for “a seat at the table” for decades, yet that goal remains elusive. Just being the department in charge of what’s often touted as a company’s most valuable resource – its people – isn’t enough on its own. Despite lofty talk, HR often is still seen as the personnel department, a […]
by Craig Olivo Q: We recently hired a temporary employee for a position that is classified as exempt under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). With the holidays quickly approaching, will we be required to pay the temporary employee for the holidays observed by our company? A: The FLSA doesn’t require payment for time that […]
Federal guidance on the Americans with Disabilities Act states that all employee medical information must be kept confidential, but that goes above and beyond what the statute requires, the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Nov. 20. Despite what the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission says, ADA protects only information obtained in response to […]
Although the calendar shows winter is still a month away, employers would be wise to think now about how they’ll handle the challenges hazardous winter weather will bring. When snow, ice, or other extreme weather shows up in the forecast, employers’ thoughts turn to how weather might prevent employees from getting to work and how […]