Author: Kansas Employment Law Letter

Beliebe it or not, the customer isn’t always right

by Teresa Shulda Do we ever get tired of hearing about pop sensation Justin Bieber’s antics? Let’s hope not, because today’s reality HR lesson comes from none other than the Biebs.  Flight of fancy For those of you who haven’t been paying attention or don’t know any tweens, Justin Bieber blasted onto the music scene […]

Training, enforcement key parts of DOL’s proposed budget

The Obama administration’s proposed U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) budget for fiscal year 2015 stresses a continuation of enforcement initiatives from previous years as well as new job training and assistance initiatives. Released on March 4, the budget proposal includes $11.8 billion in discretionary funding for the DOL, $300,000 less than the request in the […]

U.S. Supreme Court expands SOX whistleblower protection

In the early 2000s, corporate and accounting scandals involving Enron, Tyco, WorldCom, and other publicly traded companies cost investors billions of dollars and prompted federal legislation to reform corporate financial practices. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) covers everything from mandatory financial disclosures to enhanced penalties for white-collar crime to requiring a company’s CEO to sign corporate […]

H-1B visa season is upon us

by Elaine Young It’s that time of year again, when employers that want to hire recent college graduates and other professionals begin to file H-1B visa petitions. The first possible start date for most H-1B employees is the first day of the federal fiscal year, October 1. Because U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) accepts […]

I believe you have my stapler

Ever flip through the channels on a lazy Saturday afternoon and come across an oldie but goodie? This happened to me recently with the movie Office Space, a workplace classic. While I can’t imagine a world where everyone hasn’t seen Office Space, here is a quick plot summary. Peter Gibbons (played by Ron Livingston, pictured […]

And the award for employee excellence goes to . . .

by Dan Oswald If you, like me, were one of the tens of millions of people who watched the Academy Awards Sunday night, you saw a celebration of excellence in a profession. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was founded in 1927. And, according to its website, “one of the first Academy committees […]

More rigorous regime for employers of temporary foreign workers

By Gilda Villaran As we have repeatedly reported, there have been many changes to Canada’s immigration program in the past year. So many, in fact, that it has been hard to keep track of all the new legislative and regulatory amendments and new administrative measures. Yet another important change to the Temporary Foreign Workers Program […]

EEOC sends employers strong signals on medical leave

by Troy D. Thompson Over the last several months, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has filed a significant number of lawsuits alleging disability discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) against employers across the country. The cases are instructive because they highlight the EEOC’s current enforcement policies, identify common areas of risk under […]

NLRB sets public meeting on proposed changes to union election rules

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has set two days of meetings in April to hear opinions on proposed changes to rules governing union representation elections. The NLRB will meet for April 10-11 at its headquarters in Washington, D.C., to allow members of the public to present their views on what probusiness interests have labeled […]

Building an ethical culture: What HR needs to know

Human resources professionals spend a lot of time working to create a respectful work environment. Much of that effort is necessary to stay in compliance with antidiscrimination and other workplace laws, but a true focus on ethics goes beyond legal compliance.  Susan Alevas, an attorney, management consultant, and president of Alevas Consulting Group, Inc., recently […]