A special issue of HR Hero Line, a free weekly e-zine from HR Hero and employment law attorneys who are part of the Employers Counsel Network, took an in-depth look at the new FMLA regulations that go into effect January 16 and what they mean to employers.

At Thanksgiving time, we thought it would be good to take a look at some of the issues employers face during the holidays — drops in productivity, employees shopping online when they should be working, training seasonal workers, refereeing disagreements about holiday decorations, and, of course, navigating the office party. Lawsuits never take a holiday. [...]

Despite the passage of Proposition 8 earlier this month, the issue of same-sex marriage is still very much alive in California. The California Supreme Court announced yesterday that it will address the issues raised by the initiative at the request of advocates on both sides:

Final regulations under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), were issued Friday by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). The new regulations allow employers more control over when employees can take leave. As expected, the new regulations cover the recently enacted leave benefits for family members of both seriously injured or ill service members and [...]

While much of the focus on the recent election has been on the results of the presidential and federal and state legislative races, in Wisconsin, city of Milwaukee voters also passed a binding referendum creating an ordinance providing sick leave benefits for all employees working within the city. Effective immediately, the ordinance is being enforced [...]

The results from this year’s HR Hero annual holidays survey are very similar to years past and it doesn’t appear that the number of holidays granted in 2009 will be different than in 2008 or previous years. The one difference is that July 4, 2009 will be on a Saturday. Because of that, many of [...]

Update: E-verify deadline moved to September 2009
Starting January 15, 2009, federal contractors and subcontractors will be required to begin using the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ (USCIS) E-Verify system to ensure their employees are eligible to work in the United States.

Update: New FMLA regulations issued by DOL on November 14, 2008

Of course you want to show your appreciation when employees out-perform expectations. A cash bonus? 401K profit sharing matches? Not in the budget this year. Learn inexpensive ways to thank your employees for their hard work and dedication with the free White Paper from HR Hero, Giving Thanks: How to Show Employees They’re #1 Without [...]

It’s time for HRHero’s annual holiday survey to see how many holidays companies are offering during the next 12 months and how the economy will affect their holiday celebrations and bonuses. This year’s survey starts with the Thanksgiving holiday this month and goes through October 2009.