Reader Favorites

The list shows the most widely read articles on this site.

1. 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
   
   
2. 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
   
   
3. 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
   
   
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. 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
   
   
6. 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
   
   
7. 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 polici . . . more
   
   
8. 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
   
   
9. 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
   
   
10. 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
    
    
11. 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
    
    
12. 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
    
    
13. 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
    
    
14. Internal Workplace Investigations in California: How to Properly and Thoroughly Investigate Employee Complaints and Misconduct Without Increasing Your Legal Risks
    Audio Conference
    Originally presented on September 5, 2007
    When you're facing trouble in the workplace--based on complaints filed by employees or simply your own suspicions--your first instinct may to launch an investigation into what's going on. In California, in fact, you may even have a legal duty to check things out if the allegations involve issues such as occupational safety or sexual harassment . . . more
    
    
15. Hiring: What Are Some of the Common Things People Lie About on Resumes?
    4/18/2008
    We're trying to be as careful as possible in prescreening the people we interview. We hear a lot about resume falsification--some amazing percentage of resumes supposedly have "mistakes" or outright lies on them. What are some of the common things people lie about on their resumes, and will a routine background check pick up the lies? . . . more
    
    
16. Terminations: If Employment Is At Will, Can I Fire for Any or No Reason?
    3/14/08
    Employees are hired for no specific time period, with no contractual relationship, and employment can be terminated by either party, for any or no reason, with or without notice, unless specifically prohibited by law. These last five words are the cause of the vexation and the reason you need to be cautious whenever terminating an at-will employee. . . . more
    
    
17. Workplace Dress Codes in California: How to Maintain a Professional-Looking Workforce Without Opening Yourself Up to Employee Complaints and Bias Allegations
    Audio Conference
    Originally presented on August 29, 2007
    From flip-flops to eyebrow piercings, military fatigues to tube tops, "Daisy Duke" shorts to arm-length tattoos, maintaining a professional-looking workforce is an uphill battle for California employers these days. . . . more
    
    
18. 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
    
    
19. Hiring: Is It a Good Idea to 'Google' Applicants?
    3/28/2008
    I recently returned from a meeting where one expert recommended doing a Google search on applicants as part of the evaluation process. He said you often find very interesting things about people, especially if they blog or have their own website. Someone else thought it might be an invasion of privacy, . . . more
    
    
20. Heat Illness: What Must We Do to Protect Outdoor Workers in the Summer Heat?
    5/2/2008
    We employ a number of workers in outdoor jobs during the summer. With summer heat coming on, are there Cal/OSHA requirements we need to comply with in this regard . . . more
    
    

Displaying 1 thru 20 of 175 Found     Next