Archives

Depressed, Discriminated Against, and Out on FMLA

In yesterday’s Advisor, we featured attorney Jonathan A. Segal’s take on the most common mistakes in discipline and termination. Today, more of his practical advice, and an introduction to a unique training system that will help all your supervisors and managers avoid lawsuits Segal, a partner in the Philadelphia office of law firm Duane Morris, […]

The CA Specials: Travel Time, Tools, Uniforms, Stubs

“In the US, nearly 13 lawsuits are filed every minute, and sometimes it seems as if most of them are in California,” says attorney Christopher C. Hoffman. Some special California rules that confuse HR managers are those around travel pay, deductions for tools, required uniforms, and pay stubs.

Not Legally Required, But Legally Recommended

C-Suite types will say, “I don’t need a reason to fire.” You have to talk to them, says Jonathan A. Segal, Esq., and explain about “legally required” and “legally recommended.” Don’t tell the CEO who wants to terminate without documentation, “You can’t terminate.” Say, “If there is a legitimate non-discriminatory reason for this termination, you […]

Canada’s Rocky Economy Leads to Legal Refinements in Employment Benefit Law

By Bill Duvall As the prognosis for Canada’s economy remains uncertain, the Canadian court system continues to churn out employment cases arising from distressed employers. On this front, two recent cases are of interest. In the first, an Ontario court concludes that employees may not be entitled to statutory severance pay when they are provided […]

Encouraging Employees to Leave When There’s Nothing in the File

Terminations, and “requests” for resignation are delicate moments for all HR managers. Expert Paul Falcone offers advice about how to handle these tricky questions, and we introduce an all-answers-in-one-place HR website. Falcone, a prolific writer on HR topics and a popular speaker, is VP, Employee Relations, at Time Warner Cable in Los Angeles. He is […]

Hot List: Wall Street Journal’s Bestselling Hardcover Business Books

The following is a list of the bestselling hardcover business books as ranked by the Wall Street Journal with data from Nielsen BookScan on August 23. 1. StrengthsFinder 2.0: A New and Upgraded Edition of the Online Test from Gallup’s Now, Discover Your Strengths by Tom Rath. Are you unsure where your true talents lie? […]

SHRM Conference Special: Supervisors Avoid Tough Conversations—Unless You Give Script

Managers and supervisors will go to great lengths to avoid tough conversations with employees. Unfortunately, avoidance isn’t the best approach. So give your supervisors and managers scripts to follow, says Paul Falcone. Falcone, a prolific writer on HR topics and a popular speaker, is VP, Employee Relations, at Time Warner Cable in Los Angeles. He […]

Did HP’s Board Make the Right Call?

When a colleague suggested I write about Hewlett Packard’s firing of CEO Mark Hurd, I wasn’t sure there was anything of value to say about this situation. But on further reflection I think there is a clear lesson in all of this. You might recall that on August 6, Hurd resigned under pressure from HP’s […]

Words Matter (More than Lithium)

Litigation Value: A plaintiff (and high school) class consisting of “Scott’s Tots,” each of whom could claim entitlement to four years of college tuition — less an offset for the value of a laptop battery. (Thanks, Mr. Scott.) Greetings, faithful readers! You know the summer’s going fast and the nights are growing colder — at […]

HRDA Interview: Are Scanned Documents Legal in Court?

By Stephen Bruce, PhD, PHR Just My E-pinion Scanned documents are legal, says attorney Catherine Moreton Gray, but you must be careful and consistent in your procedures if you want to be sure they’ll hold up in court. Gray, an attorney with Robinson & Cole in Hartford, Connecticut, answered HRDA’s questions during a recent interview. […]