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Managing Within the Law for California Supervisors: How to Ensure They Comply with the State and Federal Laws That Affect Your Workplace Audio Conference Thursday, May 15, 2008 Many supervisors enjoy the "managing" part of their jobs--hiring the best people, interacting with their workers, and motivating them to succeed at what they do. What causes the most headaches for supervisors (and for you, the HR professional) is the "complying" part of their jobs--understanding employment laws and regulations and ensuring that their organizations follow these rules. . . . more FMLA Changes and New Proposed Regulations: What You Need to Know to Comply Now Audio Conference Wednesday, May 21, 2008 It's breaking news: President Bush just signed the very first changes to the federal Family & Medical Leave Act (FMLA) since the law was enacted 15 years ago. . . . more Employee Benefits: New Ruling Says Employees Can Sue Over 401(k) Mistakes; How to Protect Yourself Audio Conference Friday, May 23, 2008 The U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled that when fiduciary misconduct reduces the value of an individual account in a defined contribution plan, such as a 401(k), the harmed employee can sue for damages. . . . more Electronic Recordkeeping in California: What to Keep, What to Toss, What to Scan, and Where to Store It Audio Conference Wednesday, June 4, 2008 In today's workplaces, emailing, texting, blogging, and the Internet are a way of life. So are electronic records. You may have had your old paper recordkeeping system down flat, but it's a whole new world when you get rid of the paper and move to digital. . . . more Employee Orientation: Why It's a Crucial Part of Your Business; How to Energize, Integrate, and Retain Your Newest Hires Audio Conference Thursday, June 5, 2008 You've spent lots of time and money finding and hiring the best employees. Once they're on the job, however, many employers inadvertently discourage and chase off these new hires by offering ineffective or even off-putting orientation and on-boarding programs. . . . more More

Bulletin: Government raises employer fines for immigration violations As of March 27, 2008, employers that violate federal immigration laws must pay heftier penalties. Employers face fines for knowingly employing unauthorized aliens . . . more Employment Tests: New EEOC Fact Sheet Highlights Avoiding Bias When Screening Job Candidates and Employees; Five Best Practices Selecting the best person for the job is crucial to any organization's success. But if you're using tests and other selection procedures to help you make sound employment decisions, it's important to be aware of how federal antibias laws limit the use of screening tools. . . . more Hiring: Should You Accept Video Resumes? Three Practical Tips As jobseekers search for ever more creative ways to get noticed by prospective employers, some are submitting video resumes to supplement written resumes. Typically, these are short videos that highlight a job candidate's skills or qualifications, and they usually show images of the person. A survey by career publisher Vault, Inc., reveals that 89 percent of employers would be willing to accept video resumes. . . . more Disabled Workers: New Case Shows Importance of Interactive Process in Finding Reasonable Accommodation; Tips You Can Use Arnie Armstrong worked as a distribution stock clerk for Burdette-Tomlin Memorial Hospital in New Jersey for about 18 years. During his tenure, he was sometimes plagued by a preexisting neck and back condition. . . . more Electronic Monitoring: Employer Had Duty to Investigate Employee's Criminal Online Activities; 3 Protection Steps Suppose an employer that monitors its workers' Internet use finds evidence that an employee is using company computers to access child pornography online. Does the employer have to investigate the situation and take action to stop any criminal activity? According to a landmark court decision the answer is . . . more Sign up for a trial and access more articles like these

Family and Medical Leave Sample Policy Properly administrating leave taken under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and the California Family Rights Act (CFRA) is often a challenging task. This month's Online Exclusive is an updated, comprehensive FMLA/CFRA policy, which includes provisions addressing the new active duty and service member leaves available to employees. . . . more Bulletin: Special Report included with this issue: "The California Employer's Compliance Guide to COBRA and Cal-COBRA" It's critical for employers that have two or more employees and offer health benefits to understand their obligations under the federal Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) and the state version, Cal-COBRA. These laws . . . more Bulletin: Next month! An ERI Intensive Class on terminations Even experienced HR professionals encounter difficulty when dealing with termination issues. And small mistakes can lead to expensive litigation. How can you protect yourself and your company? Have a . . . more Bulletin: California Supreme Court issues important CFRA ruling The high court recently decided that an employer cannot automatically deny medical leave for a serious health condition even though an employee works another job with similar duties. Antonina Lonicki was a technician at Sutter Health Central, . . . more Bulletin: Nominate your organization for the ERI 2008 Great California Workplaces Award Is your company a great place to work? Tell us why! As of May 1, we're accepting entries through August 31 for the ERI 2008 Great California Workplaces Award, which recognizes California employers of all sizes that have implemented unique, . . . more Bulletin: Bush administration reworks 'no-match' rule The government recently released a tweaked version of its employment-eligibility verification rule that had been blocked by U.S. District Court Judge Charles Breyer last fall. Opponents . . . more Bulletin: U.S. Supreme Court hands down another arbitration-related ruling In this issue of CEA, we cover a new U.S. Supreme Court decision finding that federal policy favoring arbitration trumps state law. The nation's high court recently . . . more Retaliation: California's High Court Says Supervisors Can't Be Held Personally Liable for Retaliation; How the Ruling Affects Employers The California Supreme Court has decided that supervisors can't be held personally liable for retaliation under the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), the state's antibias law. We'll explain the new case and its impact for employers. . . . more Workplace Bias: U.S. Supreme Court Rules on Admissibility of 'Me,Too' Evidence; Employers May Not Be Off the Hook An employee sues your organization, claiming you laid her off because of her age. To help prove her case at trial, the employee is planning to have a few former co-workers testify that they, too, were subjected to age bias. As it turns out, however, the managers involved in the co-workers' allegations played . . . more Workers' Compensation: No Award for Employee Who Invited Co-Workers' 'Disdain' with Her Own Questionable Behavior Rosemary Verga was a United Airlines staff representative in the human resources department. She filed a workers' compensation claim for an injury to her psyche she said stemmed from a difficult staff meeting, but a California . . . more U.S. Supreme Court Update: New Rulings on Arbitration Agreements and Discrimination Charges Are Good and Bad News for Employers; What You Should Know A new U.S. Supreme Court decision addresses arbitration agreements, concluding that federal policy favoring arbitration trumps state law. In another important ruling, the Court focused on age discrimination charges, endorsing a relaxed standard that makes it easier for employees to bring age discrimination . . . more Tipped Employees: Court Jolts Starbucks with $100 Million Judgment for Tip-Pooling Violations; Quick Guide to California's Rules A California superior court judge has jolted Starbucks Corp. with a venti-sized $100 million judgment for violating state law by having shift supervisors share in employee tips. Here's a look at why the employee award was . . . more Unions: Know When Employer Surveillance of Organizing Activity Is Illegal; 4 'TIPS' to Use Now to Prevent Legal Mistakes The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which covers California, has rejected a union's claim that an employer committed an unfair labor practice when human resources employees interrupted meetings between union organizers and . . . more Exempt Employees: How California Employer Won Overtime Exemption for High-Level IT Employee Skyriver Communications, Inc., a San Diego wireless broadband Internet service provider, employed Mark Combs as director of network operations and classified him as an exempt administrator. Combs spent about 60 to 70 percent of . . . more News Note: Unpaid Wages of $44.63 Don't Justify $46k In Attorney's Fees What's a "reasonable" attorney's fee in a wage and hour lawsuit? A California appeals court in Los Angeles explored this issue in a recent case in which Michael Harrington sued a payroll provider to recover $44.63 in unpaid wages. He filed the case as a class action but then . . . more News Note: Former TV Anchor Loses Reverse Bias Suit Bradford Hicks, who is white, was a weeknight news anchor for KNTV Television, Inc., in the Bay Area. When his contract expired, KNTV chose not to renew it. Several months later, when KNTV hired an African-American man . . . more News Note: Employer Wins Attorney's Fees in Frivolous Race Bias Case In a rare twist, the city of Colton has won a $39,000 attorney's fee award from former employee Daniel Villanueva for targeting the city with a frivolous race discrimination and retaliation . . . more News Note: Workplace Bullying May Hurt Employees More Than Harassment Workplace bullying can have more severe consequences than sexual harassment, according to a new Canadian study by researchers at the University of Manitoba and Queens University, "Outcomes of Aggression and . . . more Sexual Harassment: Do You Have a Solid Complaint System? Federal Court Admonishes Burger King Franchisee for Inadequate Procedures Have you reviewed your antiharassment policy recently to make sure it contains not only the provisions required by law but is also tailored to the needs of your organization and your workforce? . . . more Bulletin: Troubled by terminations? Get your questions answered at the ERI Intensive Class on terminations in June Firing an employee is never a pleasant experience, yet it's an unavoidable aspect of your job. But make the wrong move when terminating a worker and your company could be facing a costly lawsuit. Don't take chances . . . more Bulletin: State high court says individuals not liable for workplace retaliation The California Supreme Court has ruled, in a 4-3 decision, that individuals cannot be held personally liable for retaliation under . . . more Bulletin: U.S. Supreme Court issues several employment-related decisions The nation's high court has recently handed down several rulings that affect employers. Here's a summary of these decisions. . . . more Bulletin: Government raises employer fines for immigration violations As of March 27, 2008, employers that violate federal immigration laws must pay heftier penalties. Employers face fines for knowingly employing unauthorized aliens . . . more Bulletin: U.S. Supreme Court denies request regarding San Francisco's health insurance ordinance The Golden Gate Restaurant Association recently asked the nation's high court to lift the January 9 ruling by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals . . . more Employee Benefits: U.S. Supreme Court Says Individuals Can Recover Damages for Mishandling of Retirement Accounts; Self-Protection Options for Employers In an important new development, the U.S. Supreme Court has unanimously ruled that when fiduciary misconduct diminishes the value of an individual account in a defined contribution plan, such as a 401(k), . . . more Sexual Harassment: Why Big 'Spanking' Verdict Was Overturned Back in 2006, a Fresno jury awarded a headline-making $1.7 million to Janet Orlando, who charged she was the victim of sexual harassment and battery after she was spanked . . . more Wage and Hour: Court Looks at California's Paycheck Cashing Rules; Avoiding Missteps A new case puts the focus on the importance of complying with Labor Code paycheck rules, particularly the requirements that employees have a free means of cashing their paychecks here in the state . . . more Family and Medical Leave: DOL Proposes Changes to FMLA Regulations; A Look at the Highlights In February, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) published a long waited proposal to update and retool Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) regulations. The lengthy proposal covers notice requirements, medical certifications, eligibility, the definition of "continuing treatment" for a serious health . . . more Family and Medical Leave: New FMLA Leave Rights for Military Families; Poster Required The new National Defense Authorization Act expands the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) to permit two new types of workplace leave for family members of injured military personnel and military reservists called to active duty. Here's an overview of the requirements. . . . more Disability Bias: Ninth Circuit Revisits Whether Blanket Safety Standard Excluding Deaf Workers Violated the ADA; Better News for Employers This Time In late 2006, the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a trial court ruling that a United Parcel Service (UPS) safety-based rule excluding . . . more More