Never Invest Your Money In Anything That Eats Or Needs Painting.

Never Invest Your Money In Anything That Eats Or Needs Painting.

The California Chamber of Commerce has produced a white paper cataloging the top 10 mistakes most likely to get a company sued. While a few of the laws cited apply specifically to California, some of them are federal and may apply in your state.

The report observes: "Employers may unintentionally violate employment laws simply by trying to provide some flexibility for an employee, save money for the company or just be nice."

Here are the top 10 mistakes

1. Classifying all employees as exempt, whether they are or not

It may be easier to pay someone a salary rather than figure out overtime, meal breaks, rest breaks and the like. The time (and money) you save on bookkeeping is a false economy, however, since you could pay big time in penalties or a lawsuit. (See the report for more specifics.)

2. Letting employees work through lunch so they can take off early

A non-exempt employee is required to be given a 30-minute meal break, plus a 10-minute break for every four hours worked. If you deny one or the other, you owe the person an extra hour's wages; if you deny both in the same day, you owe an additional two hours. The wages must be paid during the pay period in which it's missed. The employee cannot waive his or her right to the breaks. This isn't just a California issue; here is a recent example in which an employee at a family-owned bakery in Washington allegedly was denied 10-minute breaks.

3. Making everyone an “independent contractor” because having employees is too much trouble

The report notes that contractors are happy until one of the following comes up: workers’ compensation, unemployment insurance, state disability insurance or paid family leave benefits. Avoid these legal spiderwebs by determining who is and who isn't a contractor.

4. Not providing training about harassment and discrimination to managers and supervisors

Don't assume your employees won't need the information. Avoid lawsuits by providing the basic sexual harassment training required by law.

5. Letting employees decide which, and how many, hours they want to work each day

Most employees are restricted by law regarding the number of hours they can work without needing to be paid overtime. If you are allowing longer workdays for four-day workweeks, there are rules that need to be followed. Check with your state laws for specifics.

6. Terminating any employee who takes a leave of absence

From the report: "Employees have legal protection when they are away from work for various reasons, including workers’ compensation, disability, pregnancy, family and medical leave, military leave, jury duty and many more."

7. Withholding an employee's final check if they fail to return company property

You may think you can withhold money while you wait for an employee to return a computer or a cellphone, but think again. Some states have laws that require you hand over the check the minute the words "you're fired" come out of your mouth. And if an employee quits and gives more than 72 hours notice, the check must be ready on his or her last day. The penalties start accruing from the moment the check is late–one day of wages for every calendar day of delay.

8. Providing loans to employees and deducting the money from their paycheck each pay period

This seems perfectly fine, doesn't it? Except most state labor codes permit only paycheck deductions authorized by law and those authorized by the employee for health insurance or other benefits. No other deductions are permitted. If you're making a loan, you should have the employee sign a promissory note and a lawyer review it.

9. Using noncompete agreements to protect confidential information

Many employers force employees to sign these agreements to protect business secrets, customer lists and pricing information and to prevent employees from working for the competition. Essentially, you can't force your employee to stay with you, nor can you prevent him or her from making a living.

10. Implementing a “use it or lose it” vacation policy and avoid paying out all the money at termination

Accrued vacation is a form of wages and cannot be denied. You can stop an employee from accruing vacation beyond a "reasonable" amount, but you cannot take away what he or she has already earned. What is considered a "reasonable" cap? Generally 1.5 to two times the annual accrual, says the report.

Republicans Are Sipping Tea: Democratic Infighting Gives GOP Rare Victory In Hawaii

Republican Charles Djou took advantage of an intra-party fight among Democrats to snatch a House seat that Democrats had held for 20 years in Hawaii.

Djou, a Honolulu city councilman, won 67,274 votes or 39.5 percent of those cast.

The special election was for the state's 1st congressional district, which opened up after 10-term Democratic lawmaker Rep. Neil Abercrombie stepped down earlier this year to concentrate full-time on his bid for Hawaii governor.

The seat includes Honolulu and some surrounding suburbs. President Obama, who spent parts of his childhood in the district, won 70 percent of the vote in the 2008 presidential election.

But there were two Democratic candidates on the ballot in this election and recent polls indicate they were splitting the vote.

The results, posted on the state's Office of Elections website late Saturday, proved likewise:

State Senate President Colleen Hanabusa, considered the more liberal candidate, received 52,445 votes or 30.8 percent. She had been in third place in recent polls, but she refused to step aside.

Former Rep. Ed Case, considered the more moderate candidate, garnered 47,012 votes or 27.6 percent.

The special election was a winner-take-all contest, with only a plurality needed for victory.

National Democratic Party organizations favored Case but did not formally endorse either of their party's candidates.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee ran ads that criticized Djou. But earlier this month, after it was clear neither candidate would drop out, the DCCC stopped spending any more money or time on the race.

Djou will have to defend the seat come November, and national Democrats are saving their firepower for that contest, when only one Democrat will be on the ballot.

"We're looking at November in Hawaii," Rep. Chris Van Hollen, the DCCC chairman, told reporters Thursday. "I think you all know the situation, and it's important that people do understand the unique circumstances of a special election in Hawaii - you don't have a primary. You have, in this case, three candidates - two Democrats and one Republican. I can confidently predict that the Democrats together will get a majority of the vote. Just like the Democratic candidate in November will get a majority of the vote."

But a win for Djou in the special election was seen as a symbolic victory for the GOP.

"The fact that we have an opportunity to win in President Obama's childhood district where he received 70 percent of the vote in '08, speaks to the quality of Charles Djou's candidacy and the level of Republican voter intensity across the country," Ken Spain, NRCC communications director, said last week.