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NLRB ruling ends proemployer automatic exemption

A recent ruling from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) means employers are no longer automatically exempted when unions ask them to turn over witness statements related to employee discipline. Now, the employer’s confidentiality interest must be balanced with the union’s need for information. The American Baptist Homes of the West d/b/a Piedmont Gardens case […]

A deal or not? Lack of release not necessarily trouble for employer

By Karen Sargeant You’ve terminated an employee’s employment without cause and offered a reasonable package. You’ve negotiated a settlement, prepared the settlement documentation, and paid out the severance. You thought you dotted all your i’s and crossed all your t’s, but you forgot one crucial part – the former employee never signed the release you […]

Turnover Focus Brings Bottom Line improvement

To tame turnover, says consultant Karl Ahlrichs, SPHR. Focus on the employees you really want to keep. You’ll have a much better shot at improving the bottom line. And going one step further—if we can do a good job of managing turnover among top producers, we’ll improve other key metrics like retention of customers, says […]

Wow! Wage and Hour Crushes Other Categories in Litigation Trends Survey

Untitled Document Wage and hour has consistently been the area with the greatest increase in multi-plaintiff actions for US respondents, and wage and hour is also the area that respondents believe will see the greatest increase in the next 12 months. Fulbright & Jaworski LLP’s 8th Annual litigation Trends Survey is out, and the results […]

New Disability Regulations for Contractors Expected in April

Regulations requiring federal contractors to implement disability hiring goals will be issued in April 2013, the U.S. Department of Labor announced last week. A year ago, DOL’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs proposed a mandate that would require contractors to aim to have individuals with disabilities make up 7 percent of their workforce. The […]

Pregnancy laws: Do you know the unlawful practices regarding pregnant employees?

New California regulations and pregnancy laws broaden the types of conditions of pregnancy for which workplace accommodations will be required – even if they don’t involve a pregnancy-related disability. With these new regulations on the table, it’s crucial for you to amend your internal policies and practices to ensure compliance with California law.

Cheer or fear

Litigation value: $0.00 for a drunk, passed out (and likely concussed) Daryl, but Jim has a cause of action for battery against Belsnickel. My colleague, Doug Hall, wrote about the “Dwight Christmas” episode three weeks ago when it first aired.  I agree with him that employers need to be careful with their holiday social events to minimize potential […]

2013: Are You an Eeyore or a Tigger? (Attitude Counts)

I happen to live in the country music capital of the world, Nashville, says business and leadership blogger Dan Oswald. So at least a couple of country stations have been programmed into my radio, This morning on my drive to the office, I was listening to one of the stations when a Travis Tritt song […]

Year-end thoughts for the new year

by Jeffrey M. Cropp Now is a good time to sit back and reflect on the past year and make plans for the upcoming year. So relax, and think about the unexpected problems that arose this year, what you did to address them, and whether you could have done anything differently. It’s also a good […]