Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
by Kevin McCormick Maryland has become the first state to enact password protection legislation designed to prohibit employers from requiring applicants and employees to disclose their personal passwords to social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace. The legislation was passed April 9 and is expected to be signed by Governor Martin O’Malley. If […]
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has launched a National Emphasis Program (NEP) that for the next three years will step up inspections of health hazards to workers in the nursing and residential care industry. A statement from OSHA quotes figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics showing that workers in nursing and […]
by Mark M. Schorr As of March 28, 2012, a new protected category has been created under the Omaha Municipal Ordinance enforced by Omaha’s Human Rights and Relations Department. Omaha residents who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender are now protected from discrimination in the same way that sex, race, national origin, age, marital status, […]
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has issued a new rule aimed at clarifying when the “reasonable factors other than age” (RFOA) defense can be used in claims filed under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA). The rule is to be published in the Federal Register on March 30. A statement from the EEOC […]
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is inviting public comment on proposed revisions to Form I-9, the form all U.S. employers are required to keep on employees to document that they are eligible to work in the United States. Comments will be accepted until May 29. Key revisions to the form include: Expanded Form […]
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will begin accepting H-1B visa petitions for fiscal year 2013 on Monday, April 2. Petitions for the visas, which allow nonimmigrant specialists to temporarily work in the United States, will be considered accepted on the date USCIS takes possession of a properly filed petition with the correct fee. […]
Unless you have spent this week on another planet, you have heard that the U.S. Supreme Court is hearing three days of arguments on the health care form law passed by Congress in 2010. The Court is expected to hand down a decision by the end of June. On Tuesday, day two of the hearings, […]
by G. Thomas Harper Governor Rick Scott has signed into law controversial House Bill (HB) 1205, which will change the way state employers deal with drug testing their employees. What follows is a quick update on how HB 1205 will affect employers when it goes into effect at the beginning of July. In addition to […]
In a 5-4 opinion delivered Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court held that state employers are immune from suit for damages under the self-care provisions of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). In the case, Daniel Coleman sued his employer, the Court of Appeals of the State of Maryland, for $1.1 million in damages when […]
Although a federal district court in Washington, D.C., has ruled that the controversial employee rights poster requirement will go into effect April 30, the legal wrangling over the issue likely isn’t over. The ruling from U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson on March 2 is a partial victory for the National Labor Relations Board […]