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Compensation & Benefits

How much leave can workers take to attend their kids’ school activities?

03/23/2015
Q. One of my employees asked me if she could use a few hours of her personal time off to leave work early and attend her daughter’s grade school band recital. What’s the law on this?

What leave must we provide for em­­ployees who are victims of domestic violence?

03/23/2015
Q. An employee notified me that she was a victim of domestic violence and needs to take some time off work. What leave am I required to allow her?

More answers on California’s new Paid Sick Leave Law

03/23/2015
Employers are still adjusting to the requirements under California’s Paid Sick Leave Law. This month, we offer even more information to help you comply.

DOL cites Silicon Valley firm that paid $1.21 per hour

03/23/2015
San Jose-based Electronics for Imaging (EFI) will have to pay $40,156 to eight workers it brought in from India. A U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division investigation found the company required workers to put in as many as 122 hours per week and paid as little as the equivalent of $1.21 per hour in Indian rupees.

New California unemployment insurance deadlines coming July 1

03/23/2015
Effective July 1, 2015, deadlines for reconsideration or appeal of unemployment insurance benefit rulings, determinations, computation or administrative law judge decisions will be extended from 20 days to 30 days.

Workers can be on-call during rest periods

03/23/2015

Under California law, employees must receive a rest break for every four hours worked and employers may not require employees to work during their breaks. But what about employees who are allowed to take breaks and do what they wish during that time but still have to respond to calls if necessary? In a recent case, security guards asked that question because they had to carry their radios during breaks in case they were suddenly needed.

How best to control health costs?

03/22/2015
There’s no consensus on the best way for employers to rein in health care costs, but consumer-directed health plans, such as high-deductible coverage paired with a health savings account, have the most support.

Survey: High school athletes have higher incomes later

03/20/2015
Adults who were high school athletes tend to have higher incomes, according to a new Harris Interactive poll. Fifteen percent of adults who participated in athletics have personal incomes greater than $100,000, compared to just 9% of those who did not participate.

From salaried to hourly: How do we set his pay?

03/19/2015
Q. We have an employee going from a full-time salaried position to part-time hourly. To set his hourly rate, do we have to divide his salary by 2080 (40 hours per week for a year)?

Are Skyped meetings compensable?

03/19/2015
Q: Department managers conduct monthly meetings in person and via Skype for employees who are off, so they don’t have to come in and attend the meetings. Must we pay a minimum amount of hours?