Author: Arizona Employment Law Letter

Multitasking hinders productivity

by Dinita James Multitasking increases worker productivity, right? That is at least common wisdom. It seems that if we can do two, three, or even four things at once, we are accomplishing more in less time. Research on the human brain is pointing decidedly in the other direction, however. According to one recent study, multitasking […]

What are you afraid of?

by Dan Oswald It sounds like a childhood taunt. “What are you afraid of?” If you close your eyes for a minute, chances are you can go back in time and recall a situation in which you were asked that exact question. Someone was trying to push you into doing something you really didn’t want […]

Labor Board gets an F for its treatment of A-List

Celebrities … they’re just like us. Which is to say that they now have a reason to be ticked off at the National Labor Relations Board too. A recent decision by an NLRB administrative law judge tells Hollywood’s A-listers they get no special treatment under the labor laws. The MUSE School, founded by Titanic director James Cameron, […]

Adverse-effect discrimination and probationary employees

by Kyla Stott-Jess In Canada, it is well-established that employers cannot simply terminate employees whose work performance is negatively impacted by disability. Rather, an employer must attempt to accommodate the employee to the point of undue hardship. But what happens when the employee fails to notify the employer of his disability? Further, what accommodation does […]

Looking ahead: Report offers glimpse of workplace in 2022 and beyond

Trends shift and societal pendulums swing, but lasting change manages to take shape anyway. Futurists may have a tough time predicting what tomorrow’s workplace will look like, but that doesn’t keep them from trying. A new report from consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers is giving human resources thinkers a lot to consider as they plan how to […]

Turning to a union―what’s going on?

by Richard Reinhardt Under the National Labor Relations Act, all employees―whether they work for government employers, unionized companies, or private companies without a union―have a right to attempt to unionize and speak with other employees about unionization or the terms and conditions of their employment. As traditional union strongholds such as automobile and manufacturing decline, […]

Colorado employers have new official employment verification form

Colorado employers now have an official form from the state Division of Labor that should be used to verify that all employees hired after October 1 are legally eligible for employment. Colorado law already requires all public and private employers to verify and document the legal employment status of all employees hired after January 1, […]

A blooper of historic proportions

Downton Abbey recently made headlines with what some are calling “the water bottle seen around the world.” In an uncropped version of a publicity photo, Lord Grantham and Lady Edith are seen standing in front of a stately mantel upon which a bottled water is perched looking hilariously out of place. Turning an amusing blooper into […]

OSHA seeks more comments on injury and illness tracking

by Judith E. Kramer The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has extended the comment period for the proposed rule to improve tracking of workplace injuries and illnesses. Comments will be accepted through October 14. The proposal, published on November 8, 2013, would amend the agency’s record-keeping regulation to add requirements for the electronic […]