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.

Part-Timers and Temps: Moneysavers or Moneypits?

People think using contingent workers is a down and dirty way to save money, says attorney Nancy M. Cooper, but there are expensive pitfalls that could erase that savings many fold. In today’s Advisor, Cooper demystifies part-timers and temps. Cooper chairs the labor and employment practice group at law firm Garvey Schubert Barer in Portland, […]

Know What Retaliation Is, So You Can Prevent It

Most employment laws include provisions protecting employees from vindictive managers who would otherwise punish them for exercising their rights. The Family and Medical Leave Act is no exception. Late last year, the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division released Fact Sheet # 77B explaining the FMLA’s anti-retaliatory provisions. Here are some highlights: Prohibitions An […]

Employee Suffering from IBS Allowed to Proceed with Retaliation Claim

By Mara Cherkasky A former customer service representative who suffers from irritable bowel syndrome and claims she was harassed by her bosses and eventually fired for seeking leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act may move forward with her lawsuit, a federal court has ruled. The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of […]

What’s Penn State Mean for HR? More Harassment Cases

Special from the Advanced Employment Issues Symposium, Las Vegas The unfortunate revelations of alleged sexual misconduct at Penn State and other schools will have one clear effect for HR, says attorney Mark Schickman: You’re going to see an uptick in harassment charges. Sexual harassment charges had been declining somewhat, but the recent publicity will reverse […]

California Public-Sector Employers Facing Challenging New Laws

Public-sector employers in California are facing an array of challenges in 2012 — declining revenues, out-of-control costs, fading reserves, and “a slew of bills further hobbling public agencies’ ability to control costs,” according to Jonathan Holtzman, a partner with Renne Sloan Holtzman Sakai LLP in San Francisco. Here’s a look at some new laws affecting […]

Tricky Rules Surround FMLA Fitness for Duty Certifications

Special from the Advanced Employment Issues Symposium, Las Vegas In yesterday’s Advisor, attorney Stacie Caraway covered FMLA “key employees” and return to work issues. Today, technical aspects of fitness-for-duty certifications, plus an introduction to the guide many call the “FMLA Bible.” A member of Miller & Martin PLLC in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Caraway made her remarks […]

What Is a ‘Leased Employee,’ Anyway?

Confused about what exactly a “leased employee” is? Turns out a lot of people the IRS contacted were, too. The IRS’ Employee Plans Compliance Unit (EPCU) recently completed its study on the role of leased employees in retirement plans. When EPCU asked plan sponsors who used pension feature code “3F” on their Forms 5500 — […]

Top 10 Things To Know About Coordinating Workers’ Comp Leave

The interaction among various leave laws can make your obligation to accommodate injuries and illnesses incredibly complicated—especially when the injury results from a workplace accident. Read on for 10 tips from Jim Brown of Sedgwick, LLP, that will help you get everything properly sorted out.