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Faithfully expecting: religious accommodations and employer-mandated vaccination policies

By New Hampshire Employment Law Letter Oct 14, 2012 Diversity & Inclusion

Updated: Oct 14, 2012

An “informal discussion letter” from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) indicates that employers should carefully weigh religious objections by pregnant employees, specifically in the context of employer-mandated vaccination policies. Background In February 2012, a healthcare provider wrote the EEOC requesting a formal interpretation of the application of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act […]

Breaching duties and cashing checks: An employee’s entitlement to bonuses after termination

By Northern Exposure Oct 14, 2012 Northern Exposure

Updated: Oct 14, 2012

by Marisa Victor and Christopher Copeland Can a Canadian employee who is fired for cause sue for outstanding bonuses? What about if those bonuses relate to the period of the employee’s wrongdoing? This was the issue in Mady Development Corp. v. Rossetto, when a terminated executive sought to claim his bonuses for a period when […]

Who let the dogs out?

By Florida Employment Law Letter Oct 14, 2012 Diversity & Inclusion

Updated: Oct 14, 2012

by J. David Kutch A Palm Beach State College (PBSC) student received permission from the school to use a service dog trained to help her deal with the effects of her psychiatric disorders. However, she failed her classes and was escorted off the campus at times, apparently because two offices at the school had different […]

How NOT to Deal with Sexual Harassment Complaints

By Stephen Bruce, PhD, PHR Oct 14, 2012 HR Management & Compliance

Updated: Oct 14, 2012

A recent EEOC lawsuit—just settled for $2.3 million—gives a picture perfect example of how NOT to handle sexual harassment complaints. The harassment was compounded by retaliation and ratcheted up with evidence tampering. In the suit, Fry Electronics worker America Rios complained to her boss, Ka Lam,  that her manager was sexting her and inviting her […]

More Tips for Evaluating Training Sessions

By Heather Hunt Oct 14, 2012 HR Management & Compliance

Updated: Oct 14, 2012

Evaluation of classroom training also involves evaluating your own performance as a trainer and assessing the effectiveness of your training methods and presentation. Here’s how to get training evaluations during and after your training sessions: Use a survey. One of the most common ways to do this is to ask trainees for feedback, using some […]

Do You Embed Evaluation into Training Sessions?

By Heather Hunt Oct 14, 2012 HR Management & Compliance

Updated: Oct 14, 2012

Evaluations—both of employee learning and of the effectiveness of the training—are an important part of the learning process. So important, in fact, that they can’t be left to the very end. Unfortunately, many people think of evaluation as something that comes only at the end of training—but evaluation should really be built into the session […]

Expert Advice on Handling Difficult Trainees and Questions

By Heather Hunt Oct 13, 2012 HR Management & Compliance

Updated: Oct 13, 2012

Q. What can trainers do to manage difficult participants and difficult questions during training? A. Difficult trainees include hecklers (particularly in large groups) as well as those who “for whatever reason have totally shut down and make it obvious” by not participating and sitting with their arms folded during training, says Veronica J. Holcomb, president […]

Corporate Plans Lag Behind Public Pensions when Investing in ‘Sustainables’

By Jane Meacham, Contributing Editor Oct 12, 2012 Benefits and Compensation

Updated: Oct 12, 2012

Corporate retirement plans in the United States are much less likely to employ socially responsible investing strategies in their portfolio investments than are public pension plans, according to a new report by global financial services company BNY Mellon.  Concerns about ERISA and fiduciary roles, along with “lack of interest” and “performance tradeoff,” were most often […]

Majority of Fortune 100 Companies Offer Only DC Plans to New Hires

By Jane Meacham, Contributing Editor Oct 12, 2012 Benefits and Compensation

Updated: Oct 12, 2012

The latest annual survey of Fortune 100 companies’ retirement plan types confirms the familiar shift to defined contribution plans by most of the largest U.S. firms. As of 2012, 70 of the Fortune 100 companies offered only DC plans to new, salaried employees. Just 11 still offer a traditional defined benefit pension plan to new […]