Archive for January, 2011
EXPECTING PRIVACY AT WORK? FUGEDDABOUTIT!
The 411 on Email and Texting Policies With the prevalence of workplace email and texting, businesses should consider publishing sound written policies on expected etiquette and on management’s ability to access and monitor such electronic communications. For lack of such guidelines and rules, employees should not be left with the impression that their privacy rights […]
FROM CALIFORNIA EMPLOYER DAILY NEW YEAR, NEW HR IDEAS
In its article “New Year, New HR Ideas,” California Employer Daily recently passed on three key actions employers should consider at the beginning of the year, courtesy of James J. McDonald, Jr., managing partner of the Irvine office of Fisher & Phillips, LLP. We thought these were pretty spot-on ideas worth sharing: “1. Get Your […]
TRAVEL PAY IN CALIFORNIA
Policies to Keep Your Business in the Fast Lane Depending on the magnitude of the error, business owners and managers who discover they have been underpaying workers for travel time could be suddenly afflicted with the equivalent of extreme motion sickness. Hourly employees must be paid for all “hours worked.” Depending on the circumstances, an […]
EEOC REPORTS RECORD HIGH
Workplace Misconduct Charges in 2010 The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission recently published its annual statistical report on unlawful workplace discrimination, harassment and retaliation charges. Individuals filed 99,022 complaints (“charges”) with the agency in 2010, more than in any of the EEOC’s 45 years of existence. The total is a 7% increase over 2009. Many […]
AN EMPLOYER’S GUIDE TO NEW 2011 LAWS PART V
Employer’s Obligations to Prevent Discrimination and Other Unlawful Employment Practices In a recent case before the California Fair Employment and Housing Commission (FEHC), paralegal Robin Williams alleged her former employer, Lyddan Law Group, was liable for hostile work environment harassment and discrimination on the bases of race, religion and sex. She also asserted Lyddan retaliated […]
AN EMPLOYER’S GUIDE TO NEW 2011 LAWS PART IV
IRS Increases Acceptable Mileage Rate Deduction Effective January 1, 2011, the IRS increased the accepted mileage deduction for business use of a motor vehicle from 50 cents to 51 cents per mile. Employers may deduct as a business expense the full amount of any reimbursement equal to or less than this IRS rate. However, the […]
AN EMPLOYER’S GUIDE TO NEW 2011 LAWS PART III
New Requirements for Unpaid Internship Programs Internship programs can promote a business or industry to ambitious students looking for experience and items on their resumés. However, a company must comply with several rules in order to exempt such interns from minimum wage laws. An April, 2010 opinion letter from the California Division of Labor Standards […]
AN EMPLOYER’S GUIDE TO NEW 2011 LAWS PART II
Mandatory Paid Leave for Organ and Bone Marrow Donors For some time now, state employees have been given paid time off for organ and bone marrow donations by law. Beginning in 2011, this is now mandatory for private employees as well. Effective immediately, employers with 15 or more employees must provide paid leave to employees […]