Under a new Maryland law, employees of small businesses with soon benefit from parental leave similar to the family leave that larger businesses must provide to their employees under federal law. The Maryland Parental Leave Act (MPLA) requires businesses that employ 15 to 49 employees in Maryland to provide employees 6 workweeks of unpaid leave Read more
Canadian Provinces, Ontario and Prince Edward Island have minimum wage increases coming soon. Effective June 1, 2014 the general minimum wage rate for Ontario increases by 75 cents from $10.25 per hour to $11.00 per hour. There are minimum wage rate distinctions as outlined below: The student worker rate will increase by 70 cents from Read more
All Nevada employers with one or more employees are required to post the recently revised Unemployment Insurance Notice to Employees. The Notice to Employees has new information about filing an unemployment claim online and a new section that deals with unemployment insurance fraud. The Employment Security Division encourages claimants to use the internet to file Read more
Today May 20, 2014 City of Philadelphia contractors and their first-tier subcontractors must pay workers $10.88 per hour. Then, beginning January 1, 2015, that rate increases to $12.00 per hour. According to Mayor Nutter, “no person who works on a City contract should live in poverty”. Click here for the news release. This executive order Read more
Colorado’s Governor Hickenlooper has expressed his support of several bills passed by the legislature this session that if signed may have a big impact Colorado employers. Wage Protection Act of 2014 Senate Bill 5 establishes an administrative procedure that allows the Colorado Division of Labor to decide claims for nonpayment of wages or compensation up Read more
Cal/OSHA enforces the nation’s most comprehensive heat illness prevention regulations. These regulations require that all employers with outdoor workers take precautionary measures when temperatures are high. There are basic steps employers must take to ensure worker safety which include: Provide heat illness prevention training Provide cool, fresh water and encourage workers to drink water frequently Read more
Federal Law When an employer is notified that an employee is pregnant or has a pregnancy-related limitation or disability, three federal laws often come to mind: the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA), the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). Under these laws, an employer may have to accommodate a Read more
On January 1, 2014 Delaware’s governor signed legislation raising the state’s minimum wage. The increase occurs in two steps: Effective June 1, 2014 the rate increases to $7.75 per hour Effective June 1, 2015 the rate increases again to $8.25 per hour An additional change which was effective last year has been implemented. Back in Read more
Vermont plans to raise the state minimum wage rate from $8.73 per hour to $10.50 per hour over the next four years under a bill that passed just before the legislative session ended on Saturday. Once the bill is signed into law, Vermont will lead with the highest scheduled minimum wage rate of any state Read more
Conducting an organizational audit, reviewing formal and informal systems and procedures, helps an employer determine current and projected needs, provide protection from legal liability, as well as, prioritize issues of concern in terms of significance. Specifically, an HR audit will answer questions such as: What are our current formal and informal employment policies? Where can Read more
