Under the massive new federal economic stimulus law, employees who suffer an “involuntary termination” have to pay just 35% of the cost of COBRA continuation health care coverage. Employers cover the rest and then the government reimburses them. But what does “involuntary termination” mean?
Under the massive new federal economic stimulus law, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), employees who suffer an “involuntary termination” have to pay just 35% of the cost of COBRA continuation health care coverage. But what does “involuntary termination” mean?
Employers now have an answer to their single biggest and most vexing question about the elaborate new federal subsidy arrangement under COBRA, but it may not be the answer they were hoping for or expecting.
The downturn has hit California hard. Many stable California employers find themselves for the first time contemplating reductions in force in order to survive. If you’re considering a large-scale layoff, be prepared to familiarize yourself with California’s version of the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act.
Terminations are the spark to many employment lawsuits. And for each of the six kinds, there are some common steps employers can take to make sure they defend themselves if the termination is challenged in court ...
By forcing top military and civilian leaders to resign this spring, U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates showed that he’ll hold people accountable for fixing serious problems.
Employment terminations fall into several categories. Whether the situation involves new hires who didn’t work out, firings for cause or performance issues, or voluntary resignations, terminations often lead to litigation. For each type of termination, there are some common ways employers can make sure they can defend themselves if challenged ...
Employment terminations fall into several categories. Whether the situation involves new hires who didn’t work out, firings for cause or performance issues, or voluntary resignations, terminations often lead to litigation. For each type of termination, there are some common ways employers can make sure they can defend themselves if challenged ...
Often, constructive discharge cases grow out of a disciplinary process rife with harassment. An employee may suspect that his employer is trying to get him to quit. If a jury agrees, that can mean a large damage award. To cut the risk, have HR administer any discipline, and do so in private and in a way that preserves the employee’s dignity ...
Hiring managers spend too much time interviewing candidates—and asking them the wrong questions. Then they’re often surprised to have to fire those same candidates a few months later after discovering that good interview skills don’t necessarily signal a great job fit. The problem: Employers often hire for hard skills but fire for soft skills, says Karl Ahlrichs of Hiring Smart, an Indiana firm specializing in employee selection. Instead, says Ahlrichs, “Our new slogan should be, ‘Fire them before we hire them.’” ...
Culling through stacks of resumes and conducting two or three rounds of interviews takes too long, is too subjective and too often results in bad hires. Employee selection expert Karl Alrichs proposes a four-step hiring process that saves managers time, reveals the best candidates, and highlights the intangibles that separate good employees from the bad ones.
HR Law 101: Your employee handbook should include statements on these topics: a welcoming letter from the CEO, rules and procedures, your employment policies, compensation and benefits, safety and health rules, an affirmative action statement and an acknowledgment receipt form ...
Q. One of our managers resigned a month ago, but she applied for FMLA leave a day before her resignation. Are we under any obligation to return her to a position she resigned from? Are we obligated to offer her a job when FMLA expires? —T.K., Massachusetts
Q. We have an employee who submitted a dated, signed resignation letter but then changed her mind and wanted the letter back. She was not a good employee, but we let her rescind the letter because we thought we'd be on shaky legal ground. Could we have held her to it? —M.L., Ohio
If a talented employee resigns from your organization (say, for example, a new mom decides to stay at home), don't erase that person from your memory. Build a database of competent ...
Issue: Must unused vacation time always be paid when employees leave? Risk: An unclear vacation policy could allow terminated employees to sue your organization and collect additional pay. Action: ...
Issue: Must you always pay employees for their unused vacation time when they depart your organization? Risk: An unclear vacation policy could allow terminated employees to sue you and collect ...
A California chiropractor successfully improved morale (and, he believes, cut turnover) by simply giving every employee a set of customized business cards sporting their job titles. ...
If your company has policies on job transfers or resignations (and it should), make sure they are clearly articulated and strictly followed by managers ...
Odis Ross' boss at the county jail refused to call him Officer Ross. Instead, he addressed him as "black boy" and "nigger" and often referred to Ross' wife, who is white, ...
Philip Mauro was hired for a carpenter/foreman job with the understanding that his work had to coincide with his daughter's day care hours, 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and that ...
Q During a recent exit interview, an employee told us that she had been sexually harassed on the job. But she claimed that she was leaving the company for a better job, not because of the alleged harassment. What should we do with her complaint? Do we have an obligation to investigate this claim even though she is leaving? L.C., Louisiana
