Archive for June, 2011
REQUIRED HEAT ILLNESS PREVENTION FOR OUTDOOR WORKSITES
Cal/OSHA Increases Enforcement The heat is on as “Cal/OSHA” (California Division on Occupational Safety and Health [DOSH]) announced last week that it will step up illness prevention measures through the summer months. Marking the first day of summer, Cal/OSHA Chief Ellen Widess’s press release cautioned that the agency “will be out there across the state, […]
UNDERSTANDING CHILD LABOR LAWS
Preventing the Summertime Blues (‘Cause There Ain’t No Cure…) Hiring a teen under age 18 involves some essentials: 1. Familiarity with Applicable Laws: Review federal and state laws on teen employment — especially the rules on what types of jobs teens are not allowed to perform. Many small businesses, and especially those just starting out, […]
DISABILITY AND LEAVE OF ABSENCE POLICIES
Keeping Up with Changing Employment Laws A recent California Employer Daily article touches on an important employment law subject — the unanticipated pitfalls HR managers and employers face, including from the shifts and refinements in the state and federal leave laws. Key leave laws—the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and the California Family […]
WORKPLACE AGE DISCRIMINATION LAWS PROTECT “OLD PEOPLE” ONLY
How Old is Legally “Old”? While many might recognize that business cannot use “age” as a criterion for employment decisions, including hiring, promotion, discipline or termination, the federal and California protections actually only apply to persons “of a certain age.” Workers under 40, the relatively “young,” do not have such rights. Employees aged 40 or […]
PRE-EMPLOYMENT TESTING
Inquiries are Limited to Job-Related Skills and Qualities While a manager’s “gut instinct” might work when choosing which candidate to hire, it might not. Employing an individual who makes a seemingly great first impression in an interview but who turns out to be a dud or hell-on-wheels once in the stress of the working environment […]