Florida Minimum Wage Increase in 2009

The state of Florida will increase its minimum wage by 3 cents, which means, from the current $7.21 per hour to $7.24 per hour on July 24, 2009. At the same time, the federal minimum wage will increase to $7.25 per hour.

Of course, the change has a number of ramifications for Florida employers. They must update their state and federal minimum wage posters in the workplace.

This is the second time for Florida to change the minimum wage this month. On July 24, 2009, the federal minimum wage will increase to $7.25, so the minimum in these thirteen states will increase $7.25 per hour, too.

The change in the federal minimum wage will affect most of the employers in the United States. The companies earning $500, 000 or more annually will conform to the federal law.

When an employee qualifies for his or her state’s minimum wage and for the federal minimum wage, the worker is entitled to whichever wage provides the greater benefit to the employee

Illinois Minimum Wage Increase to $8.00 per Hour in 2009

The Illinois will increase its minimum wage from $7.75 per hour to $8.00 per hour on July 1, 2009. This new rate puts Illinois in the fourth state for highest minimum wage, with California, Massachusetts, and Connecticut.

Washington’s minimum wage, $8.55 per hour is the nation’s highest minimum wage. The second highest minimum wage appears in Oregon, $8.40 per hour. In Vermont, the minimum wage is $8.06 per hour. All the three states have annual cost-of-living increases. Illinois doesn’t have t this increase.

Minimum wage increases come on July 1of this year in Illinois, while the federal rate increases to $7.25 per hour this year. In 2010, the Illinois rate goes up another 25 cents an hour, to $8.25 per hour.

The Illinois Department of Labor has estimated that about 650,000 workers will benefit from the increase in the minimum wage.

Illinois’ minimum wage increases have garnered the praise of Beatrice Jackson, President of ACORN (the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now). “For thousands of working families who live on the brink of poverty, the increase in Illinois’ minimum wage will help workers afford basic necessities that so many of us take for granted, like food, clothing, housing and education,” she said.

New Illinois Sexual Harassment Law

A new ruling about sexual harassment was released by the Illinois Supreme Court that an employer is responsible for sexual harassment by an employee who happens to be a supervisor. This ruling makes Illinois employers train supervisors and managers to prevent sexual harassment and a hostile work environment.

In Sangamon County Sheriff’s Department v. Illinois Human Rights Commission, the judge ruled on April 16, 2009 that the employer was strictly liable for any manager’s or supervisor’s actions.

In a 4-2 ruling, the Illinois Supreme Court upheld the lower court’s ruling that the sheriff’s department could be held strictly liable in such circumstances.

According to the Illinois Supreme Court, “The issue in this case is whether an employer is strictly liable under [the IHRA] for the ‘hostile environment’ sexual harassment of its supervisory employees, where the supervisor has no authority to affect the terms and conditions of the complainant’s employment. The answer is yes.” The court added that the employer is reasonable for the harassment by the supervisor.

Retail Worker Safety

Retail workers sell various kinds of products in stores. From super market to grocery stores as well as specialty shops, safety is a very important aspect during the business process.

A usual hazard for retail workers is injury owing to slips, trips, and falls. So, it is necessary to wear comfortable and safe footwear with non-slip soles. Maintain good housekeeping around the worksite so as to avoid tripping hazards. Clean up the piled debris timely to avoid falling down.

Use good lifting techniques when you hand and lift materials, such as keeping a straight back and using leg muscles to power the lift. Arrange your work for your work day to avoid repetitive motion injuries. Change your working, standing, and seated positions throughout the day. It’s better not to stay in the same position all day long.

As a retail worker, pay attention to workplace viomence hazards. Make preparation of handling violence if it occurs. If you work alone, be aware of keeping the back doors secure. Retail workers can often change jobs. Get the training for the work assignment and the tools you use. Wear porper clothing while doing the work and learn about the first aid so as to help yourself, coworkers, and the public once the accident occurs.

The Most Important HR Skill

Human Resources is the people that staff and operate an organization. Human Resources is also the organizational function that deals with the people and issues related to people such as conpensation, hiring, performance management, and training. A Human Resource is a single person or employee within your organization. Learning about the Human Resource skills will benefit for your HR Management.

There are five stages of consulting. The first one is Contracting, which begins with opening a file for the assignment and establishing relationships with the customers and then listenting carefully what the customers need for the HR. This is the crucial part through all the stages.

The second stage is Data Collection and Analysis. During this step, it is very important to understand the challenges and situation which the customers face. Preparing to anticipate the problems will benefits you l lot.

The third stage is to formalize the Recommendation. This stage should start with the statement of the customer’s needs and end with a confirmation of the resources.

The fourth stage is Execution. The execution is based on the previous stages. Only the first three stages are done well could execution stage being carried out well.

The last stage is Evaluation, Reporting, and Change. Evaluaiton is an simple thing but the most important feecdback is to ask the customer whether he is satisfied and then your assignment is completed. Save your consulting records and make reference while you come across the similar consultation.

New H-1B Visa Restrictions Release

New restrictions for employers who receive stimulus find to hire foreign workers through the H-1B visa program was recently outlined by the Department of Homeland Security. On March 20, 2009, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service announced these regulations.

Employers who receive TARP funds will need to provide additional statements to the U.S Department of Labor. It is to show that they have made good-faith attempts to fill the positions with qualified American workers.

H-1B regulations are generated under the Employ American Workers Act or EAWA which was signed on February 17, 2009. However, the new provisions are in effect until February 17, 2011. H-1B visas are granted for maximum of 6 years to highly-skilled, temporary foreign workers, such as IT industry, including computer programmers and software engineers.

Before hiring an H-1B worker, any employer who has accepted TARP funds must take a number of actions. The employers can use industry wide standards to make a good-faith effort to recruit and hire qualified U.S. workers. Employers must also show that they have offered the job to any U.S. worker who applies and is equally as qualified as (or better qualified than) the H-1B worker.

New Pregnancy Discrimination Regulations

According to a recent EEOC discrimination suit, employers should be cautious about routinely requiring fitness-for-duty certification from pregnant workers. This suit involved Britthaven, Inc. a corporation that owns and operates a chain of nursing homes and assisted living facilities.

Since 2002, the EEOC charged that the employer has subjected pregnant employees to different terms and conditions of employment, compared to non-pregnant employees. Specifically, the pregnant women are required to furnish a full medical clearance in order to continue working, even if the employee took no time off and did not indicate that she couldn’t perform her usual duties. This was contrast to the treatment of non-pregnant employees.

This practice resulted in employees being forced to take medical leave or were terminated in spite of the fact that they were fully able to perform all their job duties.

“Working women who chose to have children, should not be penalized or treated differently than other employees simply because they are pregnant,” said Lynette Barnes, regional attorney for the EEOC. “Employers must remember that paternalistic attitudes toward pregnant employees that result in unequal treatment at work violate federal law.”

In the past, pregnant workers are often required to work in the last 30 to 60 days of a pregnancy. That practice is now called into question, unless the employee has taken time off or otherwise indicated that she has restrictions or limitations.

What to do if you’re in an Accident

Car accidents can be very stressful. Learn the following tips to help you know what you should do if you're involved in a car accident.

First, stay calm when the car accident occurs. Keeping calm helps you stay in control of the situation.

Second, make sure you and your passengers are all right. Get off the car and move as far off the roadway as possible, but stay at the scene of the accident. At the same time, you should activate your hazard warning lights or setting flares to warn oncoming traffic.

Third, don’t forget to call the police. Call 911 or the appropriate emergency number to report the accident. And Contact your insurance company and report the claim. Tell your insurance company about the accident as soon as possible so that your claim could be resolved as early as possible. Do remember that do not discuss the car accident with anyone else except for the police and your claims representative.

Fourth, exchange important information with the other driver involved in the car accident. Record down the name, phone number, address and license numbers for all drivers and witnesses. Write down the information of those who were not riding in a vehicle involved in the accident. Ask for the insurance companies and policy numbers for drivers involved in the car accident.

Bus Accidents

Each year, hundreds of people across the U.S. are killed in bus and motorcycle accidents.19,000 people were injured in bus accidents in 2002 according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration. Because more and more individuals choose to use public transportation each year, the number of injuries and even death increases.

The chief causes of bus accidents come from dangerous roadways, poor weather conditions and driver negligence and improper maintenance. Each school day more than 25 million children ride the yellow school bus back and forth to school. There are about 450,000 school buses in service to date, and bout 16,000 school bus collisions occur annually, which can result in 12,000 injuries and 130 deaths.

The personal injuries resulting from bus-related accidents include brain and spinal cord injuries; abrasions; sprains; fractures; internal and soft tissue injuries; burn injuries; and other injury associated with the operation of other motorized vehicles, including death.

The Effects of a Personal Injury

In United States tort law, slip and fall is a claim or case based on a person slipping or tripping and falling. It is a tort, and base on a claim that the property owner was negligent in allowing some dangerous condition to exist that caused the slip or trip. A personal injury can arise in a few of the circumstances, such as road traffic accident, workplace accident, slip, trip or fall, public place accident and medical negligence and so on.

It is important to inform your doctor who is responsible for your personal injury incase. Gather evidence about the accident and injuries that you are suffering so that you can make a claim for compensation. You can also take photographs of the accident scene or speak to any witnesses of the accident and gather their personal details.

Personal injury can have impact on your life. If you have suffered a personal injury, you may be able to claim two types of compensation; one is general damages and the other is special damages. General damages are paid as compensation for an injury.

Hire Happy Emplyees for Your Company

Hiring happy and optimistic job applicants for your company will benefit your business. Good job applicants can increase your company’s productivity and bring great income.

There are some methods to help companies seek positive and optimistic employees. The easiest way to have happy employees is to recruit the optimistic human beings. The most objective way to assess job applicants is pre-employment testing. Another important aspect is there should be a good leader or manager. Leaders and managers are employees’ role models for optimistic behavior.

With these methods, a company will have happy and optimistic employees and follows the great business benefits.

Eye Protection for Safety

In just the blink of an eye, an incident could injure or severely injure a worker who is with no proper protective eyewear. There are many types of eye protection, like safety glasses, goggles, face shields, or helmets. These eye protections must meet the requirements of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).

Streetwear eyeglasses should only be worn in conjunction with ANSI-approved additional cover protection in dangerous workplaces. Eye safety requirements of industrial-quality eye protection should be posted on a striking place in work area. Warning signs about the specific eye protection should be put near machines and equipments.

Workers in hazardous areas need training for use and care of eye protection equipment properly in order to reduce eye injuries. Workers should also know about the causes of eye injury.

First, dust, metal and wood chips can cause eye damage. Flush the object out with water and never try to remove it embedded in the eye, otherwise this can cause further damage. Seek professional care promptly is what you need to do. Second, chemical splashes from paints and other hazardous solutions can cause great damage. Go immediately to the nearest emergency shower to wash the eyes for 15 minutes. Third, cuts around the eyes should be loosely bandaged to stop eye movement unless professional attendance.

Eye safety is no accident. Protect your eyesight from workplace danger by wearing protective eyewear.

Career Planning: Choose What You Love

Career planing is one of the important steps during your career life. One of the most challenging aspects when you do joh search is think carefully what you really want to choose.

If you are doing a job that you pretty love, then what’s your performance? Very respngsible to your work from moring to evening, right? Very few workers could find a ture dream job like this. If you are going to spend plenty of your time on the job, it should be a job that brings you true benefits and emjoyment.

Don’t think you are limited by your college degree major or even lower degree. There are many of job opportunities for you to choose from. Think about what’s your interest and search the occupations which match your skills, interests, and your personality type. The following steps will help you for your career:

1. Search for the career that is right for you. Analyze the career options with some tests which website provid, like personality tests.
2. Create the ideal life. Create a life you will love with the career test or personality test and coaching services.
3. Online career planning tool will help you find out the best career.

New I-9 Form In Effect

From April 16, 2009, all employers should begin using the new updated I-9 form. Expired identity documents will no longer be accepted on the new form. This is the biggest difference between the new version and the previous version of the I-9 form.

The Department of Homeland Security wants to ensure that “documents presented for use in the Form I-9 process must be valid and reliably establish both identity and employment authorization.” This is what the USCIS (US Citizenship and Immigration Services) notes.

The newest I-9 form adds a number of documents to List A, including:
Foreign passports with machine-readable immigrant visas
Passports from the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) or
Passports from the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI)
Along with Form I-94 or Form I-94A indicating nonimmigrant admission under the Compact of Free Association Between the United States and the FSM or RMI
Besides that, the new I-9 form also eliminates several documents from List A, items that establish both identity and employment authorization.

The new I-9 was originally slated to be used beginning February 2, 2009. However, the Obama Administration gave employers an extra month to adjust to the new document.

How to Be a Good Employee

It is definitely important to be a good employee. However, how to be a good employee?

One of the first important things is job security. It is very important to you. Don’t Put complicated code in software that only you know, don’t have a special relationship with customers that someone else cannot foster, and don’t create a messy system that only you understand. Because these are all tricks for a short while. What you need to do is to be dynamic. To document everything for file and make your job simple and easy to understand for others so that others can help you do the work together.

Then another important aspect to be a good employee is following company rules. Follow your company’s employee conduct rules and don’t break them. Don’t get yourself in trouble. The workplace is part of the social environment and not just a place to earn money. So, to be in compliance with the rules is very important.

Last but not least, making your good hourly habits will make you a better employee. Coming in early will improve your interaction with others. If you need to stay late, then do better work in the late hours. In a word, punctual and consistent. Keep your desk clean and tidy. It will give your manager a good impression. Good environment will also make sure you work better.

To be a good employee means to be a good person. Be patient, responsible and reliable in your company will benefits not only you as an employee but also your employer.

Keys to Hiring the Right Sales Manager

It is much critical for a company to hire the right leader for sales organization. Yet, how to do it well? The job of the sales manager is quite different than that of a sales person. Some sales people make the transition succesfully, but many others struggle with the change. However, the struggle comes from the lack of recognition by the company.

How to handle an employee in a new job? Often, you will give him training, and monitor their performance. But, it is a key responsibility of the company to recognize that to move their top sales person into that role they need to own the development of that individual.

The first key is managing. Managing a team well can get more profit than selling business directly. So, to develop a new manager in the company. The second key is executing. What your expectations of the sales manager are relative to developing the corporate sales architecture is what you need to consider.

Finding the right person for your sales management role seems not easy. It is also expensive. The keys will help you create a happy, healthy sales relationship between you and your new employee.

2009 Federal Healthcare Regulations

According to a recent news release by the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM), the U.S. Department of Labor has issued final rules under the Newborns’ and Mothers’ Health Protection Act of 1996. The new regulations, taking effect on December 19, 2008, apply to health insurance plans issued on or after January 1, 2009.

The rules were issued in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Treasury Department. They apply to group health plans and health insurers, including businesses that are self-insured. The new rules from the U.S. Department of Labor regulate, among other things, the length of time mothers and newborn babies may stay in the hospital.

Under the “general rule”, employers can restrict the hospital stay after a cesarean to 96 hours – but cannot require that mothers leave the hospital sooner. The new federal regulations do not require that new mothers stay in the hospital that long. The regulations contain a long list of restrictions to ensure that an early discharge does not endanger the health of mother or infant. In particular, the insurance company cannot provide financial incentives to healthcare providers to require mothers leave the hospital earlier.

Personal Protection Against Workplace Violence

Workplace health and safety training is one of the important contents in the safety training for workers. Each year, there are many workers injured in assaults in the workplace.

Workplace violence incidents include many aspects, such as verbal assault, robbery and homicide. Anyone has the possibility to become the victim of a assault in the workplace, so it is crutial to learn more about the risk factors.

The factors that could increase the risk of workplace violence cover the following aspects: contact with the public; the exchange of money and delivering valuable property.

If you are at risk for workplace violence, you should learn about and follow the safety guards in your workplace. So, follow the requirements in the workplace will help you prevent the injuries.

New Oregon Food Server Break Law

Recently, BOLI (Bureau of Labor and Industries) updated the state meal break regulations. The Oregon BOLI issued new regulations that food servers can opt to waive their unpaid meal breaks, but not their paid rest breaks. Tipped food service workers in Oregon who are over 18 years of age may opt out of their required 30-minute meal breaks if they like.

According to the new regulations, employers cannot require an employee to waive breaks, or force employees to do so. Either the employer or the employee can revoke the waiver at any time by written notice. However, the employee can be excused from taking the meal breaks if the employer has a signed, non-revoked waiver on file.

In addition, when it would be an undue hardship for an employee to be relieved from all work duties for the 30 minute meal break, employers are permitted to always waive the required meal breaks. If employers want to use the exception, they must issue a BOLI waiver to all affected employees by March 16, 2009.

The break must be longer than 20 minutes and shorter than 30 minutes. The employee must be relieved of all work duties during the breaks. However, the law does not affect the requirement that an employee must have 10 minute uninterrupted rest breaks for each 4-hour work period.

In the U.S., there are nineteen states requiring meal breaks for virtually all employees. Oregon is one of these states. California and Illinois are also included.

Stimulus Plan Includes COBRA Subsidy

Obama administration’s stimulus plan offered COBRA subsidies and was signed into law on February 17, 2009. Many employers have questions about the subsidies. The subsidy applies beginning March 1, 2009.

The ARRA (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009) included a provision to subsidize extended health insurance coverage under COBRA for some eligible employees. These eligible employees referred to as “assistance eligible individual” (AEI) is laid off through no fault of his or her own, or is a dependent of a laid-off employee.

According to the ARRA, the COBRA subsidy does not apply to flexible spending accounts. The maximum time for each assistance eligible individual is nine months. Employee can get 35 percent of the COBRA premium. Every AEI qualifies for the subsidy. However, according to the individual tax returns, high-income individuals and their spouses will be required to repay the subsidy.

If the AEI does qualify as a high-income individual her or she may waive the subsidy voluntarily and must pay 100 percent of the COBRA premium.

D.C. Mandatory Sick Leave Rules

The controversial Accrued Sick and Safe Leave Act of 2008 have been effective in 2008 in the District of Columbia. Recently, this new act requires employers to provide mandatory paid sick leave.

The new law mandates that paid sick leave for any absences must be given to all the eligible employees working in the D.C. area. Whether mental or physical illnesses, employees must be given the paid sick leave. Also, employees must be given paid time off for what is called preventative medical care or for family care.

Recently, the DOES (D.C. Department of Employment Services) released the details to clarify some of the details of the proposed new Accrued Sick and Safe Leave Act. That may also help end some of the confusion surrounding the legislation.

Eligible workers must also have accumulated one year of continuous service and a minimum of 1,000 hours of work during the previous 12-month period. Workers were unable to start using the sick leave until February 11, 2009.

Tips for Safe in Workplace Holiday Parties

In the workplace, employees and employers often get together to celebrate special events. If the drinks include alcohol, the potential for unfortunate consequences greatly increases. If alcohol is used improperly, it may expose employers to liability under tort, workers' compensation or other laws.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA), each year employers loset more than $9 billion as a result of accidents by employees who are under the influence of alcohol. Employers should check the Liquor liability laws in their state.

Many employers are cutting back on holiday parties this year as a cost-saving measure. The U.S. Department of Labor offers a series of tips for workplace celebrations to reduce the risk for employers. These guidelines include extending the workplace substance abuse policy under any work-related situations.

There is also good news for employers. They can protect their businesses by educating employees about the harmful effects of impaired driving. By doing so, employers do more than just safeguard their business assets—they contribute to the nationwide campaign to eliminate and reduce a preventable crime and play an important part in making their communities safer for their friends and families and those of their employees.

2009 Federal Healthcare Regulations

According to a recent news release by the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM), the U.S. Department of Labor has issued final rules under the Newborns’ and Mothers’ Health Protection Act of 1996. The new regulations, taking effect on December 19, 2008, apply to health insurance plans issued on or after January 1, 2009.

The rules were issued in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Treasury Department. They apply to group health plans and health insurers, including businesses that are self-insured. The new rules from the U.S. Department of Labor regulate, among other things, the length of time mothers and newborn babies may stay in the hospital.

Under the “general rule”, employers can restrict the hospital stay after a cesarean to 96 hours – but cannot require that mothers leave the hospital sooner. The new federal regulations do not require that new mothers stay in the hospital that long. The regulations contain a long list of restrictions to ensure that an early discharge does not endanger the health of mother or infant. In particular, the insurance company cannot provide financial incentives to healthcare providers to require mothers leave the hospital earlier.