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Keeping the news out of the workplace

by Mark I. Schickman Racial tensions in America have been dominating the news for several months. Not surprisingly, a new CBS/New York Times poll finds that over 60% of Americans believe that race relations in America are bad and getting worse—the highest percentage in 25 years.  Some responses to these statistics will argue that arrests […]

Managing performance: 3 radical ideas

by Michael P. Maslanka There are old and accepted ways of doing things, and there are new and bold ways. It’s your choice.  Are you thinking of changing your performance evaluation system? Are you tired of the meaningless nuance between a 3.5 and a 4.0 rating? Then pick up a copy of the April issue […]

Passing on disabled candidates for safety reasons is risky business

by Erica E. Flores Election season can bring out the best and worst in our nation. The important issues that should be the focus sometimes take a backseat to headline-grabbing one-liners. But true leaders emerge at some point in nearly every campaign. It remains to be seen which of this cycle’s large group of presidential […]

Policies designed to protect employees may do more harm than good

by Jeremy M. Brenner The law prohibits discrimination against employees and applicants based on a number of protected statuses. Employers often implement policies that are intended to benefit workers but actually cause illegal systemic discrimination. Unfortunately, no matter how genuine an employer’s good intentions are, they typically do not excuse it from discriminatory conduct. Read […]

Being Good Enough Just Isn’t Good Enough

“Be all that you can be.” For years, that was the recruitment slogan used by the U.S. Army in its advertising. I think most of us would say we want to be all that we can be. We unabashedly claim we want to be the BEST. People don’t claim they want to come in second […]

Being Good Enough Just Isn’t Good Enough

“Be all that you can be.” For years, that was the recruitment slogan used by the U.S. Army in its advertising. I think most of us would say we want to be all that we can be. We unabashedly claim we want to be the BEST. People don’t claim they want to come in second […]

Termination for Reporting Theft—A Big Mistake for One California Employer

By Cathleen S. Yonahara Under California law, employers may not retaliate against employees for reporting illegal activity to law enforcement. However, an employer did just that when it fired a worker for filing a police report after the worker’s wedding ring was stolen while on the job—and that action proved to be an expensive error […]

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A Class Certification Speed Bump for California Truckers

By Michael Futterman and Jaime Touchstone A truck driver sued his employers alleging wage and hour violations. The trial court refused to certify the lawsuit as a class action but failed to provide a reason for its decision. The California Court of Appeal sent the case back to the trial court because it could not […]

California Law Applies to the Knicks, Too (Apparently)

By Michelle Lee Flores and Cozen O’Connor It was quite a surprise for the Knicks basketball team that it was subject to California’s workers’ compensation laws, given that the team is from New York. A court of appeals affirmed a California’s Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board (WCAB) award imposing liability for a cumulative trauma injury that […]