Month: July 2016

Early termination of fixed-term contract proves costly

by Jacqueline Gant The highest court in Ontario recently ordered an employer to pay out a whopping three years of compensation to a 23-month employee terminated without cause. The employee was entitled to his full salary and benefits for the remainder of the five-year fixed-term employment contract. The contract did not clearly say otherwise. In […]

Understanding strengths, weaknesses of bipolar employees

Disabilities of all types pose challenges for employers and employees alike. As employers struggle to find ways to help employees with disabilities do their jobs, they also must fulfill obligations created by laws designed to prevent discrimination and violate privacy. Like other disabilities, bipolar disorder presents its own unique challenges—concerns that will be explored in […]

EEOC issues new guidance on leave of absence and ADA accommodations

by Paige Hoster Good On May 9, 2016, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued a new guidance document addressing the intersection of employer-provided leave of absence and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This document doesn’t create any new EEOC agency policy or propose any new law. Rather, it consolidates current guidance on the […]

EEOC issues bathroom guidelines for transgender employees

by Charlie Plumb Last summer, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) released its “Best Practices: A Guide to Restroom Access for Transgender Workers.” In a nutshell, the OSHA publication stated that transgender employees should have access to the restroom that corresponds to their gender identity rather than to their birth gender.  Presumably in response […]

Vacation season—a time to relax and recharge or a time to keep on working?

Summer—traditionally a time when workers schedule time off and plan trips to exotic or relaxing locales—may have entered a new era. It’s an era of contradictions: As some studies show workers value generous paid time off policies, others indicate that employees are increasingly willing to leave their hard-earned time off on the table.  Some workers […]

Proposal calls for EEO-1 deadline to move from September 2017 to March 2018

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has announced that its proposal to collect pay data through the Employer Information Report (EEO-1) includes a change in the due date for the EEO-1 survey. The revised proposal, published in the July 14 Federal Register, moves the deadline for employers to submit the EEO-1 survey from September 30, […]