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.

Supreme Court Addresses Whether State Prevailing Wage Law Applies to Charter Cities

Yesterday, we looked at a recent case addressing the question of whether wage rates on public works projects are considered a “municipal affair” and not subject to California’s prevailing wage law. Today, the California Supreme Court’s ruling on the issue—plus a newly updated wage/hour resource specifically for California employers.

Workers’ Compensation: Tips for Protection from Retaliation Claims

How can employers protect themselves and reduce the likelihood of retaliation claims when disciplining or terminating an employee who has previously filed a workers’ compensation claim? If a claim of retaliation is feared, what evidence will help prove the employer acted legally? Avoiding Retaliation Claims: Tips When Terminating a Prior Workers’ Compensation Claimant Most employers […]

Providing Accommodations with the Assistance of Job Descriptions

Do you use job descriptions when deciding on what accommodation – if any – can be offered to an employee with a disability? To meet your ADA requirements, it’s important to use the interactive process outlined in ADA regulations and to use job descriptions as an essential part of the process. ADA Requirements: What Accommodation […]

Current Legal Trends Affecting Job Descriptions: ADA, FMLA, and Workers’ Comp

“Job descriptions have a place in so many aspects of workplace law,” Charlie Plumb advised in a recent BLR webinar. Meeting ADA requirements is often top-of-mind since the accommodation process starts with outlining the essential functions of the job, but job descriptions are also impacted by other employment laws, like the Family and Medical Leave […]

3 Benefits of a Job Rotation Program

Why should you implement a job rotation program? What results will you have? Perhaps you’re trying to implement a job rotation program and need management buy-in—how does such a program fit into your overall HR strategy? Job rotation programs can impact an organization in a number of ways. Some of the biggest benefits come from […]

Must Charter Cities Comply with California Prevailing Wage Law?

Eighty-one years ago, California passed a law requiring contractors on “public works” projects to pay the general prevailing rate of wages to all workers. One year later, the California Supreme Court determined that wage rates for workers on locally funded public works projects are a “municipal affair” and not subject to California’s prevailing wage law.

What is intermittent leave and how is it calculated?

What is intermittent leave? Are employers required to provide it? The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and the California Family Rights Act (CFRA) provide legal rights for eligible employees to take up to 12 work-weeks of job-protected time off in a 12-month period (and 26 work-weeks for servicemember leave). This time off may be […]

Church Music Director Is Minister, So Court Blocks Employment Discrimination Suit

A Catholic church’s music director is a “minister” and therefore ineligible to bring employment discrimination claims against the Church, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled, implementing a new U.S. Supreme Court precedent.  Phillip Cannata worked as the music director for St. John Neumann Catholic Church, part of the Catholic Diocese of Austin. He […]

Radio Show Features Discussion with BLR’s Patricia Trainor on Presidential Election’s Impact on HR Issues

Where do Barack Obama and Mitt Romney stand on employment law and HR issues? Patricia Trainor, BLR’s Senior Managing Editor, Human Resources, was the featured guest on the November 1 broadcast of “The Proactive Employer” –a radio show hosted by Stephanie Thomas that features one-on-one discussions with leading policymakers and thought leaders—on how the presidential […]

Your Ex-Employee’s Case Is an Investment Decision for Plaintiff’s Attorney

Special from the Advanced Employment Issues Symposium, Las Vegas To avoid lawsuits, think like a plaintiffs’ attorney, says attorney Dan M. Forman. When the law firm evaluates your employee’s case, it is making an “investment decision.” Your objective is to discourage their interest. Forman is a partner at the Los Angeles office of Carothers, DiSante […]