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Discrimination: Massive Wal-Mart Class Action OK’d by Ninth Circuit

Last year, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals agreed with a lower court’s decision to certify a sex discrimination class action lawsuit filed against Wal-Mart on behalf of up to 2 million current and former female employees. Last month, the Ninth Circuit has now reaffirmed its ruling, thus putting the suit one step closer to […]

Boom! 7 Choices for Blowing the Doors Off Business-As-Usual

HR consultant and author of 13 bestselling business books Carol Hacker reviews the book Boom! 7 Choices for Blowing the Doors Off Business-As-Usual by Drs. Kevin and Jackie Freiberg. Review highlights the choices employers must make to create a workplace environment that works for both employees and customers. Dr. Kevin and Jackie Freiberg are out […]

Clarify and Coach, the Two Cs of Performance Management

Too often, managers avoid giving honest evaluations. Maybe they fear causing hurt feelings or maybe they don’t know what to do, but the result is the same—a lost lawsuit. The solution? The two Cs—Clarify and Coach. You know you should be coaching Terry, but you’re busy, and Terry’s doing OK. Well, OK is overstating it, […]

Class-Action Lawsuits Filed Against KMPG, CIBC, Scotiabank

By Trevor Lawson and Donovan Plomp McCarthy Tetrault Although large employment-related class-action lawsuits have become commonplace in the United States, until recently they were virtually unknown in Canada. The relative peace enjoyed by Canadian employers on this front was shattered with a $651 million class-action lawsuit filed in June 2007 against the Canadian Imperial Bank […]

Why Firing Must Be a Group Decision

If termination is necessary, let it be a group decision, say the experts. That approach will hold up strongly against legal challenges. Here’s why: First, specialized input. As we mentioned in yesterday’s Advisor, specialized members of the management team, like the HR manager, are in a better position to judge the appropriate action to take. […]

HOT LIST: New York Times Bestselling Business Books

The following is a list of the bestselling hardcover business books as ranked by the New York Times on January 7. 1. Jim Cramer’s Stay Mad for Life, by James J. Cramer with Cliff Mason. (Simon & Schuster, $26.) The host of “Mad Money” on CNBC explains how to get rich and stay rich. 2. […]

Taxes: New Tax Notice Must Be Sent to Employees

Employers must give employees written notice of their possible right to take an Earned Income Tax Credit on their federal tax returns, as required by a new California law, A.B. 650, that took effect on January 1. The new provision applies to all employers and employees covered by California’s unemployment insurance law.

5 Key Steps to Avoid Termination-Based Lawsuits

There’s nothing like a termination to get the “l’m-going-to-sue!” juices flowing. People want someone to blame, and, guess what? It’s not going to be them. Ill-considered and hasty terminations spell lawsuit time after time. And most of those lawsuits are avoidable—if you know what to do. Yes, you may win the lawsuit. But, unfortunately, once […]