Seyfarth Synopsis: Employer subsidized healthcare is one of the largest cost centers for small and large businesses.  This post provides a primer on what to do if you suspect that your healthcare costs are rising because your healthcare plan is under siege by fraudsters.   With the rising costs of healthcare, some employers choose to self-insure to reduce claims and premium expenses factored into third-party claims administration, including policy overheads, assumption of risk, and underwriting profit.…

Seyfarth Synopsis: It is important for companies to investigate internal sexual harassment complaints and take prompt, appropriate corrective action. This post provides a six-step roadmap of best practices for handling sexual harassment complaints. 1.   Plan Ahead Maintain compliant harassment policies, provide regular harassment training covering all required topics (Seyfarth can help), and communicate the procedure for reporting complaints. Determine in advance who will oversee the process for handling complaints. Have a crisis…

Seyfarth Synopsis: Employers are starting to consider “on demand” pay for employees. Before considering whether to implement an “on demand” pay program, employers should consider laws on wage deduction and wage assignment as well as the administrative support needed for such a program. Instant gratification is a fact of daily life, and there is no denying we have come to expect it. When we pay bills, we go online instead of to the post office.…

Seyfarth Synopsis: Workplace violence is no laughing matter. Although California law arms employers with strict laws to prevent workplace violence, no one wants to find themselves petitioning a court for emergency injunctive relief. Instead, employers should foster healthy workplaces and monitor early warning signs in order to address threats of violence before it is too late. “If I had a gun with two bullets and I was in a room with Hitler, Bin Laden, and…

Seyfarth Synopsis: With the recent partial shutdown of the federal government, many federal contractors have faced tough decisions balancing their reduced revenue with their desire to keep their workforce intact. One potential solution is to impose mandatory employee furloughs to reduce costs. This cost-saving measure has some risks peculiar to California that are worth a look. The Partial Federal Government Shutdown On December 22, 2018, key parts of the federal government shut down after politicians…

Seyfarth Synopsis: Employment-related cases pending before the California Supreme Court concern various questions that sometimes seem technical, but the answers they elicit will have big consequences. Questions raised by the current crop of cases include standing to sue, the availability of certain claims and remedies, federal preemption of California laws, what counts as compensable time, and—that perennial favorite—how to interpret the infernal PAGA statute. We expect the California Supreme Court in 2019 to issue decisions…

Seyfarth Synopsis: While targeted social media ads may help employers find potential applicants with specific skill sets, inartfully crafted ads may open the door to discrimination claims, particularly in California. We’ve already told you about the parade of horribles employers may face when using social media when making hiring decisions. Well, more social media, more problems. Micro-Targeting May Open The Door To Discrimination Claims What is micro-targeting, you ask? Remember when you looked up discount…