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Insurance

Workplace injuries and illnesses fall to lowest level on record

12/01/2007

Good news for your organization, employees and workers’ comp costs: U.S. workplace injury/illness rates have fallen to their lowest point since the Bureau of Labor Statistics began tracking those numbers in 1972 …

Should you buy insurance for employees’ cars?

12/01/2007

Q. We often send employees on assignments to other locations and those employees drive their own vehicles. Should we provide liability insurance on our employees’ vehicles in case of an accident? — D.R., New York …

Salary deduction for part-Week absence doesn’t always destroy exemption

12/01/2007

Without a doubt, complying with California and federal wage-and-hour rules is difficult. For example, making deductions from the regular salary of exempt employees who are absent can destroy their exemptions and mean back pay for overtime. Thankfully, there is a safe harbor …

Time to come clean: car washes handed $1.6 million in citations

12/01/2007

The California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE) recently conducted two days of sweeps at approximately 100 car washes in six Southern California counties, uncovering an array of employment law violations …

Reporting requirements under the Georgia Unemployment Compensation Program

12/01/2007

Q. Does Georgia law require employers to provide separation notices to employees who voluntarily resign from their jobs? …

Former employee working ‘Under the table’ can lose future unemployment benefits

12/01/2007

Former employees who collect unemployment sometimes work “off the books” while collecting payments. That’s illegal, of course. Those found to have violated the law by not reporting self-employment or casual labor may be banned from collecting unemployment in the future. They also will owe repayment. But unless the proper authorities know about the activity, nothing will happen …

Workplace genetic testing raises discrimination concerns

12/01/2007

Advances in genetic research have renewed attention on the workplace implications of genetic testing. Genetic research has many potential benefits. But there is growing concern that employers with access to genetic information may use it to discriminate …

Unemployment comp legit if threat of losing job compelled employee to quit

12/01/2007

Telling an employee you aren’t satisfied with her work and suggesting you will be looking for a replacement could mean she can quit and get unemployment compensation. You can’t push her to “look for another job” and then hope to avoid an unemployment claim by saying she voluntarily left …

Workers’ compensation can cover cosmetic surgery for injured employee

12/01/2007

Employees injured while at work are entitled to medical treatment to correct those injuries. It turns out that treatment can include cosmetic surgery …

Don’t risk double compensation—Make sure workers’ comp policy is in place

12/01/2007

Here’s a cautionary tale for Indiana employers that don’t carry up-to-date workers’ compensation insurance or that haven’t been approved as self-insured employers. If your policy lapses, you just may find yourself paying double for any work-related injuries …