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McDonald’s Fails to Accommodate Employee Unable to Wash Hands

by Daniel Pugen and Earl G. Phillips McCarthy Tetrault In Canada, human rights legislation provides that employers have a duty to accommodate disabled workers unless such accommodation would cause “undue hardship” on the employer. A recent case involving McDonald’s Restaurants before the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal illustrates the high standard of accommodation expected of […]

‘I Didn’t Know You Wanted Me Here Every Day!’

Yesterday’s issue emphasized the necessity of sharing your attendance expectations with employees. Here are the key points that BLR’s popular 10-Minute HR Trainer suggests you stress in employee training on attendance. 1. Employer Expectations Regarding Attendance Regular attendance is a requirement of every employee’s job. It is important because: High absenteeism rates reduce productivity. Absenteeism […]

9 Rules for Dealing with Attendance Problems

Every organization has them—employees who push every attendance policy to the extremes. Here are 9 ways to put a stop to their shenanigans. The vast majority of supervisors’ day-to-day HR problems relate to attendance, says Bob Gibson, blogging on Fedsmith.com But too many managers tend to be casual about it. That won’t work, says Gibson. Managers […]

Pregnancy Complications: Disability, No; Sex Discrimination, Maybe

By John C. Pitblado By now, you know that the old “sticks and stones” schoolyard adage is way off: Words can hurt you. You may be surprised to find out how few words (in this case, a 12-word phrase in an e-mail) it takes to really hurt an employer that’s facing a discrimination claim. HR […]

Managing the Millennials in the Workplace: Part 2

by Stephen J. Stine Last week, we examined who the Millennials (members of Generation Y) are and tips for managing them in the workplace. This week we’ll look at some of the challenges they present to employers and how to deal with them. Audio Conference: Are You Ready for the Millennials? What HR Needs to […]

The Dinner Party

LITIGATION COST: Paying lawyer to review corporate ethics policy: $1,500; paying Michael severance: $5,000; avoiding corporate scandal: priceless. Does any company really want its regional manager to hit up subordinates for money? Does it matter that he did it in his condo rather than his office? The answer to both of these questions is, quite […]

Note from Boss Saved 50 Years: Little Things Do Matter

By Elaine Quayle, BLR EditorJust My E-pinion We may think that small tokens of appreciation don’t matter to workers, but here’s the story of a boss’s congratulatory letter that was treasured for 50 years. My mother put only her most valuable things in her white leather jewelry box. And since her jewelry collection was meager, […]

A Simple Chart to Justify Overtime Exemptions

Per yesterday’s Advisor, the exempt/nonexempt designation can be terrifically important: To employees, to you, and to the government. Today we’ll look at two ways to make it simpler and easier. One of the easiest ways to deal with exemption issues is to use a chart, says attorney Tom Makris of Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP […]

How to Talk So People Listen: Connecting in Today’s Workplace

Technology writer and consultant David Micah Kaufman reviews the book How to Talk So People Listen: Connecting in Today’s Workplace by Sonya Hamlin. Review notes book’s advice for thinking through the various consequences and responses of business communications makes it a classic. One of the keys to success for any organization is communication. I have […]

New California Supreme Court CFRA Ruling: Holding Down a Job While on Medical Leave from Another Employer Not Automatic Grounds for Denying CFRA Leave

Suppose you have an employee who requests medical leave because she has a medical condition that, she claims, interferes with her ability to do her job. In the course of determining whether this time off qualifies as protected family and medical leave, you discover that she is continuing to work for another employer, performing similar […]