On January 11, the Department of Homeland Security's U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services released a new guide to the Form I-9 process.  I-9s are required of all employers to verify the employment of each new hire, and are used as part of audits to curb illegal immigration.

The HR professionals...

Diversity can bring positive opportunities to any organization. These opportunities include:

• Attracting and retaining high-quality people from a variety of backgrounds.
• Increasing morale because everyone feels that he or she is welcome and appreciated, regardless of background;
• Improved productivity...

In general, employees have a duty to obey direct orders and respect their supervisors' authority.  Direct insubordination or discourtesy jeopardizes productivity, harms morale, and undermines supervisors' authority. Insubordination and discourtesy can take many forms, including: 
 

• using abusive or...

While federal law sets minimum wage requirements, many states require higher payments. For example, the federal minimum hourly rate is $7.25, but Ohio requires payment of $7.40/hour, Oregon requires $8.50/hour, and the state of Washington requires payment of $8.67/hour.

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Maintaining accurate employee records and legal compliance is critical for all employers. Failure to do so can result in hefty penalties, as demonstrated by a Texas company that failed to maintain accurate time and payroll accounts and did not properly pay employees for overtime hours worked. As a...

The U.S. Department of Labor has launched a new initiative that would require nearly every U.S. business to proactively demonstrate compliance with safety laws, wage laws, and anti-discrimination laws.  This program, known as "Plan/Prevent/Protect" (also known informally as "P-Cubed" or "P3"),...

The National Labor Relations Board has proposed a rule that would require every employer subject to the Board's jurisdiction to post a notice informing employees of their federally protected labor rights. The Board believes that such a rule would not only make employees aware of the National Labor...

Ethical behavior by all employees is critical to the long-term success of any company. Statistics show that employees who believe that their company operates in an ethical manner tend to be more productive and stay with the company longer. One of the first steps in ensuring that a company is run...

·        Use only UL-approved electrical decorations and extension cords.

·        Inspect all lights and cords before use.

·        Keep your tree and other decorations away from heat sources.

·...

The owners of a concrete company in California have been charged with 15 felony charges of payroll tax evasion and workers' compensation insurance fraud. The charges are based on allegations that the company intentionally under reported wages by disguising the funds as payments made to independent...

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If it hasn’t already, snow will soon be falling in many parts of the country. Following are some safe snow removal tips employers can share with employees to help avoid injury, both on and off the job. 

·           Stretch for a couple of minutes before shoveling to loosen up back, shoulder, neck,...

There may be times when discipline or termination of an employee who has filed a worker’s compensation claim is warranted, just as it would be for any other employee. Employers facing this situation, however, must not underestimate the legal risks involved. In addition to rights under state law, a...

Employers with employees in multiple states must take care to comply with each state’s employment laws. For example, Illinois and Kentucky require employees to have 24 consecutive hours/one day of rest during a calendar week, but Indiana does not. Monetary penalties for each employee denied this day...

While holidays are fun and exciting, they can also create stress and anxiety. Not only can this create problems at home, it can negatively affect a worker’s ability to do his or her job well. An Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is a company-sponsored program for employees that provides...

Employers must take care when classifying workers as independent contractors. If the Internal Revenue Service finds that an independent contractor should have been classified as an employee, it can assess the employer any or all of the following:

• An amount equal to 1.5 percent of wages (3 percent...

A recent survey indicates that many companies are increasingly concerned that top-performing employees will leave for better-paying jobs as the economy improves. Accordingly, more and more employers are realizing the critical importance of compensation-related retention strategies to keep these...

Many people think that back injuries are a result of a single event, such as lifting heavy or awkward objects. Many back injuries, however, result from relatively minor strains that occur over time. When back muscles or ligaments are injured from repetitive pulling and straining activities, the back...

Data released last month by Quest Diagnostics Inc. (a drug testing company) indicates an increase in American workers and job applicants testing positive for prescription opiates.  This data further shows that employees are two to four times more likely to have opiate indicators in their systems...

Compliance with employment laws is a difficult task for employers.  Even practices that seem to make good business sense can violate these laws. Recently, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals (Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin) ruled that a health care provider’s policy of complying with patients’...