Category: HR Management & Compliance

There are dozens of details to take care of in the day-to-day operation of your department and your company. We give you case studies, news updates, best practices and training tips that keep your organization fully in compliance with ever-changing employment law, and you fully aware of emerging HR trends.

FMLA

Can an Individual Supervisor Be Liable Under the FMLA?

Most supervisors know that they risk personal liability under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Chapter 151B if they sexually harass a subordinate employee. But that isn’t the only way supervisors may be held individually liable in Massachusetts.

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Requiring Drug Tests as a Condition of Employment: Pros

Does your organization have a formal drug testing policy? Many employers do, primarily out of concern for safety of all workers. The concern is that employers want to ensure they don’t knowingly hire someone who may end up coming to work under the influence of a substance that will create an unsafe situation.

Training Could Have Helped These Companies Avoid Litigation

Yesterday’s Advisor highlighted a few legal cases that serve as reminders that antidiscrimination and antiharassment training is essential for employers that want to avoid becoming a defendant. Today, we present a few more costly examples of cases that proper training could have averted.

pretext

Disability Discrimination in the Workplace Costs Employers

It’s no secret that discrimination, harassment, and retaliation claims based on disability cost employers plenty—and it’s not just the dollars awarded in damages (although, admittedly, some jury awards are eye-popping). It’s the expense of litigation. It’s the time employers must spend defending claims. It’s the bad publicity for the company. It’s the damage to employee […]

Train Against Bad Habits, and Avoid Lawsuits Like These

The adage “old habits die hard” seems particularly applicable to a rash of lawsuits recently filed and settled by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). There is no shortage of cases such as these, and they are good reminders that strong antidiscrimination and antiharassment policies, ongoing training, and stringent oversight are absolutely essential for an […]

Right-to-work advocates dealt blow in Missouri

by Tammy Binford Missouri’s new right-to-work law, which was supposed to take effect August 28, is on hold after opponents of the measure submitted petitions to put the law up for a voter referendum in November. The state legislature passed the law, and Governor Eric Greitens signed it in February, but on August 18, unions […]

immigration

9th Circuit Upholds $300,000 Penalty for I-9 Violations

The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) requires employers to verify that their employees are legally authorized to work in the United States. It also prohibits employers from knowingly continuing to employ aliens who aren’t authorized to work. The INA calls for penalties of varying amounts for each violation, depending on the nature of the violation. Consequently, penalties can add up quickly when there are widespread violation

time

Overtime: Are Mortgage Loan Underwriters Exempt ‘Administrative’ Employees?

Among the various “exemptions” from the overtime compensation requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) are “administrative” employees. The question presented in a recent decision by the 9th Circuit—which covers Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington—was whether mortgage loan underwriters who work for lending banks fit the administrative exemption.

Onboarding Like a Boss

What are the various steps of the employee onboarding process, and how many companies implement each of these steps effectively? Moreover, how does onboarding at your organization compare? A study conducted by HR Daily Advisor Research, detailed in the report, “2017 Strategy Onboarding Survey: How to Activate New Employees,” provides insight. The survey includes responses […]