Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
by H. Mark Adams Q An employee recently came to HR and said she has meningitis. She is now out on leave. What is our obligation—if any—to notify other employees? A As someone who has survived meningitis during my professional career, I have more than passing knowledge about this subject. It’s highly unlikely that any […]
by Ryann E. Ricchio Discussions about “microaggression” have become more common in the mainstream media. A simple Google search reveals college websites documenting students’ recently experienced microaggressions and articles analyzing microaggression from major media sources, including National Public Radio and the New York Times. This article provides the definition of microaggression, examines a recent case […]
by Ryan B. Frazier On March 12, Utah Governor Gary Herbert signed into law newly enacted legislation aimed at preventing employment and housing discrimination against gays, lesbians, and transgender individuals. The monumental legislation amends the state’s antidiscrimination law to prohibit employers statewide from making employment decisions based on an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity. […]
by Mark I. Schickman One of my earliest cases involved a client who ran a livery service—with a fleet of luxury cars to drive passengers all over town. But neither his cars nor his drivers were properly licensed, and his vehicles were impounded and the drivers were arrested every time they hit the streets—such was […]
by Jerry Glass Leaders of organizations must navigate constantly changing times, whether it’s in the form of unpredictable events or the competitive marketplace in which they operate. When we look back at what has occurred nationally and globally since 2000, it’s nothing short of earth-shattering. We have had global health scares, including SARS, the H1N1 […]
by Dan Oswald Remember the old Eveready battery commercial with Robert Conrad in a muscle shirt playing the tough guy? He had an Eveready battery sitting on his shoulder while he muttered the line, “I dare you to knock this off.” I’m not sure why he was daring anyone to knock the battery off his […]
Last week, entertainment powerhouse and former talk-show host Oprah Winfrey announced that Harpo Studios in Chicago will be closing its doors by the end of the year, resulting in the loss of nearly 200 jobs. In typical Oprah fashion, she delivered the bad news to her employees in person, probably ambling around the room, microphone-in-hand, […]
A U.S. Supreme Court ruling handing the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) a victory on how it can issue interpretations of its rules has major implications for employers, according to Judith E. Kramer, an attorney with Fortney & Scott, LLC, in Washington, D.C., and an editor of Federal Employment Law Insider. The Court’s March 9 […]
On March 9, a signature by Governor Scott Walker made Wisconsin the 25th state to pass right-to-work legislation. The new law means private-sector workers who don’t join a union won’t have to pay what is known as “fair share” payments assessed on workers who are deemed to benefit from union contracts despite their nonunion status. […]
by John D.R. Craig, Christopher D. Pigott, and Brandon Wiebe In the January 2015 decision of the Supreme Court of Canada in Saskatchewan Federation of Labour (SFL), the Court found, for the first time, that Canadian workers have a constitutional “right to strike.” In reaching this conclusion, the Supreme Court overturned almost 30 years of […]