Archives

7 Deadly Timeclock Sins

The following 7 deadly sins were explained by Sandra Rappaport, Esq., an attorney at the San Francisco office of law firm Hanson Bridgett LLP. Rappaport made her remarks at ERI’s recent 2010 California Employment Law Update conference, held at the Westin St. Francis in San Francisco.

When Religion and Politics Meet at Work

An old maxim says “never talk about religion or politics,” but how realistic (or even desirable) is that advice? And as the worlds of religion and politics collide, talk of one often crosses the line into speech about the other. While employers don’t want to trample on anyone’s right of free speech, they also can’t […]

OFCCP Stepping Up Enforcement

Earlier this year, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP), which is responsible for ensuring that entities doing business with the federal government take affirmative action as required by Executive Order 11246, released its fiscal year 2011 budget request and enforcement initiatives. OFCCP director Patricia A. Shiu said she plans to implement full-scale aggressive […]

Christian Charity Immune from Religious Discrimination Claim

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits employment discrimination based on an individual’s religion. Unless, that is, your employer is a religious organization. When three former employees sued World Vision, the question was whether the Christian charity qualified for the exemption. In a recent decision, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which […]

Hate Crimes Fell 15 Percent in 2009

According to the 2009 Hate Crime Statistics report released by the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program, the number of hate crimes reported in 2009 fell about 15% from the previous year. Participating local law enforcement agencies reported a total of 6,604 incidents — down from 7,783 reported incidents in 2008 — involving 7,789 offenses as […]

NLRB Really Roils the Water Around Social Media

We knew social media was going to be a big part of 2011’s HR landscape, but the NLRB has just upped the ante considerably. It says that an ambulance service illegally terminated an employee who posted negative remarks about her supervisor on her personal Facebook page, because the posting was “concerted activity.” The complaint also […]

SHIFTing POWS to WOWS … to Find Professional Paradise

Is it really possible to find a state of “paradise” or “bliss” at work when everything seems chaotic and you’re scared to death about the security of your job? Absolutely! says Vicki Hess. Now more than ever, she says, Professional Paradise™ is alive and well. Professional Paradise is not just a feel-good concept, Hess says. […]

Conduct Detrimental

Some of you professional football fans may have heard that earlier this week the Washington Redskins suspended their All-Pro defensive lineman, Albert Haynesworth, without pay for the rest of the season. You see, Haynesworth and Redskins’ head coach Mike Shanahan have been feuding since the pre-season, when Haynesworth skipped off-season workouts, refused to attend a […]

Ain’t No Business Like Snow Business

Litigation Value: Not much, yet; but, potentially millions if Dwight goes on a murderous rampage. Is hurling snowballs really that big a deal?! Last week, it was the Cincinnati Bearcats mascot; this week, it’s Dwight Schrute and Jim Halpert — one gets arrested, the other two undergo corrective counseling. Having already addressed the tribulations of […]