In October of 2011, over 100 contract workers in California filed a lawsuit against their employer citing alleged inadequate payment for hours worked, improper recordkeeping, and failure to provide meal and rest breaks. The suit followed an inspection by the California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement that found recordkeeping violations and issued administrative citations. A few weeks later Premier Warehousing, the warehouse operator, called a meeting to hand the workers a termination letter that stated their jobs would end in 90 days, according to court documents. The workers were told that none of them would be rehired. The workers than filed a retaliatory firing lawsuit. Recently, the California judge passed down a preliminary injunction to keep the workers from being fired by Schneider Logistics Inc. The judge ruled the workers would likely be able to prove the firing was retaliatory. In its decision, the court said it is likely plaintiffs (the workers) will prevail on their claim for retalia ...

Relocation benefits are under attack from budget-minded companies. Many of the classic relocation packages are going by the way side in an attempt to avoid some huge expenses generated by trying to hire employees that are underwater with their current homes. The old-school relocation packages frequently covered losses associated with the newly-hired employees selling their old homes at a loss. With the real estate situation in the U.S., nowadays, this can create a huge burden on the hiring company. A recent Prudential Real Estate and Relocation Services report stated 74 percent of surveyed companies projected relocation program costs to increase in 2011, with 65 percent reporting a "high to extreme" impact of the current real estate market. As a business owner, you should make sure you understand the total cost associated with hiring candidates being served up from your recruiting staff, or outsource. Taking a $50,000 hit on the relocation for a $80k per year employee, can make the choice very difficult. If ...

No matter what type of company you have or how small or large it is—keeping your workers both engaged and committed is critical to your success. It’s no secret that workers keep being asked to do more for less. You should know you can ask your workers to do more, while making them feel appreciated at the same time. Employees who believe in the company they work for and are committed to their job are obviously more productive than those who are not. So what can you do to make sure your employees remain connected with your company? Encourage New Ideas – Fresh ideas should always be welcome and encouraged at your company. Workers should know if they think of a way to make a process operate more efficiently, that their ideas will be welcome. This makes people feel part of a team and lets them know management is open to new ideas. Regular brainstorming sessions should be held to encourage new ideas. Awards can also be presented for the most creative ideas that are presented to management ...

The House of Representatives voted to repeal the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports Act (CLASS Act). It was a long-term-care insurance provision of the 2010 health care reform law. House members approved a bill that Rep. Charles Boustany (R-La.), a physician, introduced a year ago. Called the Fiscal Responsibility and Retirement Security Act of 2011, the bill overturns the CLASS Act, a voluntary, public-supported long-term-care insurance program. CLASS has been hotly debated on Capitol Hill throughout 2011, and the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) suspended the program last fall. The passed bill effectively prevent the 2010 program from resurfacing. Referring to CLASS, Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.), a physician, said prior to the vote, "It was passed as a partial pay-for for the president's health care bill. So it's another portion of that bill that ought to come crashing down," he said, adding that he finds it "peculiar" to hear those who support CLASS say that it doesn' ...

When you set out to hire a new employee, the last thing you want to do is hire the wrong person. You should know that there are certain hiring and recruiting tactics, as well as post-hire training that could set you up for success with new employees. Otherwise, bad hires can cost you a major headache and your company anywhere from one to five times to worker’s annual pay. Here are just come of the costs that come with the territory of hiring an employee that doesn’t fit the mark: The overall time involved with hiring an employee.  Staff time included with recruiting and interviewing an employee. Training costs. Loss in productivity.  The cost of benefits and salary over the time period the not-so-perfect employee worked for you. Potential negative effect on productivity and morale on your other employees. Starting all over with new recruitment and training costs that are involved with finding someone new.  In an effort to avoid the someti ...