Wednesday, June 17, 2009
New Illinois Sexual Harassment Law
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.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Retail Worker Safety
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.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
The Most Important HR Skill
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.
Monday, May 25, 2009
New H-1B Visa Restrictions Release
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.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
New Pregnancy Discrimination Regulations
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.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
What to do if you’re in an 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.
Monday, May 11, 2009
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.