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It came as no great surprise that the U.S. Supreme Court withheld its opinion on two landmark decisions on same-sex marriage rights until the last decision day of the 2012-2013 term. This, however, would be the only lack of surprise of the day, as the Court delivered two opinions that significantly change the landscape for […]
Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Wage and Hour Division (WHD) issued Administrator’s Interpretation (AI) No. 2013-1, which can be found at www.dol.gov/whd/opinion/adminintrprtn/fmla/2013/fmlaai2013_1.htm. The AI clarifies that the age of onset of a disability is irrelevant when determining whether an employee is entitled to take leave to care for an adult son […]
by Dan Oswald Years ago, I heard a story about a couple of salespeople that left a lasting impression on me. The story went like this: A British shoe manufacturer sent two salespeople to Africa to investigate and report back on market potential. The first salesperson reported back, “There is no potential here—nobody wears shoes.” […]
In a 5-4 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court made its second pro-employer decision of the day in a case involving the standard of proof an employee must meet in retaliation claims. In University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center v. Nassar, the question was whether an employee must prove that the only reason his employer retaliated […]
In a 5-4 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court today held that an employee is considered a supervisor under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 only if the employer gave him or her the authority to take tangible employment actions (such as hiring, demoting, or disciplining) against the complaining employee. The employee in […]
The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear an appeal in Noel Canning v. NLRB. In the Noel Canning case, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled that three of President Barack Obama’s so-called recess appointments to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) were unconstitutional. Without the three appointees, the […]
By Marc Rodrigue Hiring a new employee can be a lengthy process, fraught with complex evaluations of skills, qualifications, and other attributes. The whole process must of course comply with applicable provincial and federal antidiscrimination laws. What people say during the process may provide evidence that a hiring decision is discriminatory. Where multiple people are […]
Human nature being what it is, employers can expect friction within work groups from time to time. Personality clashes and misunderstandings will strike nearly every workplace at some time. Handling that strife often requires a deft touch that rises above human nature. While a supervisor’s natural reaction may be to scold, ignore, and make life […]
More than 20,000 people gathered for the 65th annual SHRM Conference & Exposition in Chicago, Illinois, June 16-19, 2013. BLR asked visitors to our HRHero booth to show their HR pride and tell us why they were an “HR Hero.” Here are what some of the HR professionals had to say about what makes them […]
by Stacey Rose Harris A new state law in Virginia aimed at increasing worker privacy takes effect July 1. It bars employers from being required to disclose to third parties current and former employees’ personally identifiable information except under certain circumstances. The law, House Bill 1931, says employers can’t be required to disclose the personally […]