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1. Leave: Can We Change Our Policy to Limit Carryover of Accrued PTO Time?
   5/23/2008
   We thought managing PTO was going to be easy, but we've found some problems with carryover of PTO hours. We currently allow unlimited carryover, but that's going to cause some problems down the road (like three-month vacations). So we'd like to limit carryover. Is there a carryover rule? . . . more
   
   
2. Drugs and Alcohol: Can We Implement a Random Drug Testing Policy?
   10/26/2007
   We think that drug use in our company might be growing, and management wants to institute a broad, random testing policy with a zero-tolerance standard. I believe that random testing might be a privacy violation in California. Is it advisable to have a random testing policy? . . . more
   
   
3. Travel Pay: What Time Is Paid Work Time When Nonexempt Employees Travel?
   4/25/2008
   We're having a devil of a time figuring out precisely how to pay our nonexempt employees when they travel. If they travel by air and stay overnight, do we start paying as soon as they leave their house for the airport? Then let's say the plane lands at 7 p.m., they go to the hotel, settle in, and go out for dinner. When do we stop paying--when they arrive at the hotel? Also, I gather that we can pay a lower rate for travel time--do most companies do that? If we end up paying overtime for travel periods, does that get paid at the lower travel rate? Sorry for the picky questions. . . . more
   
   
4. Discrimination: Can We Require New Hires to Speak English?
   2/22/2008
   We have quite a diverse population in our area, and many of our applicants do not have good English skills. Can we require our employees to be able to speak English? We think it's critical for our salespeople who deal with the public, and really, just as important for our assembly, fabrication, and warehouse workers for easy communication and safety issues. . . . more
   
   
5. Employment Practices Liability Insurance: What Are the Pros and Cons of EPLI?
   2/8/2008
   One of our executives has asked me to look into employment practices liability insurance (EPLI). Can you comment on the pros and cons of these policies and whether you recommend them? . . . more
   
   
6. Guide to Employment Law for California Employers
   The Employer Resource Institute--the people who bring you the award-winning California Employer Advisor--has created this newly revised and updated resource to answer your tough California and federal employment law questions in an authoritative, one-stop reference . . . more
   
   
7. Workers' Compensation: Can Workers Collect Sick Pay on Top of Disability Pay?
   4/4/2008
   When an employee is out of work on workers' compensation--and also is getting partial pay--and he or she takes sick days out of our bank, does he or she get paid sick pay plus workers' comp? Or can we somehow allocate the sick time to just the difference between workers' comp and the employee's regular pay? . . . more
   
   
8. Compensation: Should We Give Quick Raises to New People for Better Retention Results?
   6/27/2008
   I just read an article that said it's important to give raises to good new employees soon after hiring or you'll lose them. Sure, that may be a good idea in theory, but if I do that, the new people will make more than the workers who have been around for much longer. And that's not going to be a secret for too long around here. . . . more
   
   
9. Cal/OSHA Compliance Advisor
   Simplify and improve your compliance with California and federal occupational safety laws and regulations, prevent employee lawsuits, and lower your workers' comp costs by subscribing to Cal/OSHA Compliance Advisor. . . . more
   
   
10. Age Discrimination: We Have a Five-Year Training Program; Can We Hire Only Younger People?
    6/6/2008
    We have a training program that involves five years of rotating assignments before employees are ready to really start the job. And it is a few years after that before they start to actually contribute significant profits. Because we have to invest so much in their . . . more
    
    
11. Workplace Bullying: Do You Have Any Advice on Recognizing and Preventing Bullying at Work?
    7/11/2008
    We have an "aggressive" employee who seems to make her co-workers uncomfortable by loudly criticizing them; we think we have a bully on our staff. Is workplace bullying illegal? Do you have any tips for us to recognize and prevent bullying at work? Thanks. . . . more
    
    
12. Can We Force Employees to Take Vacation During a Twice-Yearly Shutdown?
    7/25/2008
    We've been struggling with keeping production up because of employee vacations. So instead of trying to fight vacation schedules, we want to start shutting down for a week in December and again in July and making everyone take vacation during those weeks. Are there any laws about doing this or any problems that you foresee? How much notice do we have to give? How would we go about phasing this in? . . . more
    
    
13. 2008 Legislative Update: The Laws, Regulations, and Court Cases California Employers Need to Know About Now
    Audio Conference
    Originally presented on January 29, 2008
    any HR professionals agree, hands down, that California imposes more legal and regulatory burdens on employers than any other state in the country. In 2007, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the California General Assembly kept that tradition alive by passing a wide range of new employment-related statutes. . . . more
    
    
14. Sexual Harassment: Can Third Parties Sue for Harassment?
    5/16/2008
    We've got two situations in which third parties are complaining about sexual harassment. In one case, an office couple is "carrying on" in front of another employee who is complaining about a "hostile environment." In the other case, employees--male and female--are complaining that a co-worker was promoted because she is sleeping with the boss. That sounded like a dangerous situation to me, but now a colleague tells me that can't be harassment because males and females are being treated the same--badly, but the same. What rights do third parties have when it comes to harassment, and what actions should I take? . . . more
    
    
15. Can You Help Us Rewrite Our Dress Code?
    7/18/2008
    We're in the process of rewriting our employee handbook, and we want to modify our employee appearance policy. What do we need to consider? We want our employees to look professional, but we don't want to get caught in a lawsuit. . . . more
    
    
16. 2007 California Employment Law Update: 12-Session CD Audio Library and Conference Manual
    Get the latest updates on new laws and court decisions that will affect your workplace in 2008. You'll benefit from the clear, authoritative, and practical compliance strategies presented by our panel of California employment law experts. . . . more
    
    
17. Family and Medical Leave: How Should We Handle Employees Who Regularly Call in Sick on Short Notice?
    8/8/2008
    A few of our employees call in sick on a semi-regular basis with legitimate but unpredictable health issues relating to conditions like epilepsy and asthma. Is this time off covered by FMLA/CFRA? The employees can't give us much advance notice because their symptoms come on so suddenly. . . . more
    
    
18. COBRA and Cal-COBRA: Your Employee Notice Obligations Explained; Do Your Procedures Comply?
    Audio Conference
    Originally presented on February 8, 2006
    Firing workers. It's one of the least enjoyable duties an employer must perform, whether it involves a large scale layoff or terminating a single employeeCalifornia Employer Advisor Audio Conference
    Tuesday, February 7, 2006
    California employers have to worry about more than just the federal rules. This conference is designed exclusively . . . more
    
    
19. Intermittent Leaves in California: How to Make Sense of the Ridiculously Complex Rules and Prevent Abuses by Employees
    Webinar
    Thursday, August 14, 2008
    Managing employee leaves in California is probably not your favorite part of your job. And intermittent leaves? Those can really make you tear your hair out. . . . more
    
    
20. Electronic Monitoring in the California Workplace: How to Keep Tabs on Your Employees Without Breaking the Law
    Webinar
    Wednesday, September 3, 2008
    You're facing a brave new world these days with the use of technology by your employees--from iPhones and BlackBerries to thumb drives and USB videocams. It's bad enough when they're being paid for goofing off and distracting co-workers by surfing the Internet or swapping cell phone photos. But, those . . . more
    
    

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