Archive for the ‘Employee Policies, Handbook, Forms’ Category
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 […]
AN EMPLOYER’S GUIDE TO NEW 2011 LAWS PART I
New Workers’ Compensation Regulations in California As we kick off the new year, employers confront a slew of new laws and regulations that may affect operations and require revisions in workplace policy manuals and/or new notice postings. This is the first in a series of articles intended to help navigate key California and federal changes […]
EMPLOYEE MANAGEMENT TIPS FAIR HIRING PRACTICES
Reasonable Accommodation and Disability Discrimination Discrimination by non-governmental employers against physically or mentally disabled persons has only been illegal for less than 20 years. However, the area tends to be highly technical. California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing website might make appear that the issues are straightforward. Sometimes they are. The site states that […]
OFFICE HOLIDAY SURVIVAL GUIDE
A Risky Cocktail: Alcohol and an Employee Party Tradition dictates year-end celebration and resolution. For an office’s annual party, should such a “celebration” include alcohol? If management’s answer is “yes,” then common sense ought to be applied to maximize the safety and well-being of all attending as well as the public. For example: Hold the […]
INTERVIEWS GONE WILD!
How Not to Interview a Potential Employee In our expanding world of regulation and – right or wrong – of widening political correctness, interviewing job applicants can be a precarious adventure. The federal Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discriminatory hiring on the basis of race, color, religion, sex/gender and national […]
PART-TIME EMPLOYEES ARE PEOPLE TOO
Shorter Schedules Do Not Equal Shorter Legal Requirements Whether your business is expanding or you are circling the wagons to weather an economic downturn, hiring part-time employees may be part of the game plan. However, hiring for shortened hours or for fewer days does not absolve an employer from complying with the full range of […]
TO FIRE OR NOT TO FIRE
Employee Termination the Right Way Terminating an employee is never high on a manager’s fun list. No doubt, it can be a delicate task. Firing an employee the wrong way can lead to a nightmare of expensive accusation and counter-accusation, destroying workplace production and executive morale. Prevention is key. Two recent articles cover the topic […]
WINNING THE FIGHT AGAINST HUMAN TRAFFICKING
The Effect of California Anti-Trafficking Law on Business An estimated 12 million people are enslaved worldwide, 50,000 in the United States every year. By far, more individuals are trafficked and made slaves today than at any time when the practice was “legal.” The State of California has responded with the recent passage of Senate Bill […]