Author: Diversity Insight

Federal government touts increase in employment of people with disabilities

When President Obama signed Executive Order 13548 on July 26, 2010, he specifically set a goal of hiring 100,000 people with disabilities by 2015. The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) not only lead federal agencies in the first two quarters of 2012 with 4.2 percent of all new hires being people with disabilities, the agency […]

Survey shows how employers plan to handle upcoming holidays

Everybody enjoys a day off on a special occasion–especially if it’s a paid day off–and employers realize the benefits of offering such perks to employees. Employers may question, though, whether they’re handling holidays in the best way. The recent BLR Holiday Practices Survey provides insights on a variety of holiday practices. Major holidays The survey […]

HR’s holiday guide: A look ahead

With only a week until Thanksgiving, it’s time to start planning for the holidays (if you haven’t already). The holiday season is filled with opportunities to celebrate and thank employees for their hard work. But those opportunities can turn into headaches if you aren’t careful. That’s why this post is the first in a series […]

North Dakota employers need to be ready for new smoking law

by Lisa Edison-Smith North Dakota employers need to take steps to comply with a new antismoking law that will take effect on December 6, 2012. On November 6, voters approved Measure 4 by a 2-1 margin. The law “prohibit[s] smoking, including the use of electronic smoking devices, in public places and most places of employment […]

HHS relaxes state insurance exchange decision deadlines

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires states to establish health insurance exchanges to provide individuals and small employers with access to affordable insurance coverage beginning January 1, 2014. States have the flexibility to design and operate exchanges that best meet their needs while complying with the ACA’s statutory and regulatory standards. A state that chooses […]

Indefinite protection for federal employee disabled by work-related injury

by Nicola Sutton When the employment relationship becomes impossible to perform because of a factor outside the control of a Canadian employer or employee, the employee’s employment can be terminated by virtue of frustration of contract. When an employee won’t be able to return to work because of injury or illness, the same applies. But […]

The Boat – Let’s finish the season before it sinks…

Although last night’s episode focused more on the personal side of the characters’ lives rather than the professional, it’s always the personal stuff that leads to the really juicy legal issues. Last night, Andy emerged as the leader of his family in dealing with the aftermath of the family’s ongoing financial crisis. Dwight took the […]

The more things change, the more they stay the same

by Mark Schickman After what seems like two years of constant campaigning and over $1 billion in advertising, we are exactly where we were after the 2010 elections: Democrats control the White House and Senate, and Republicans control the House of Representatives. Unless something drastic changes, this remains a recipe for continued gridlock—a conclusion Wall […]

Maine passes gay marriage initiative

by Peter D. Lowe On Tuesday, 53 percent of Mainers voted to allow same-sex marriage. Question 1, which asked “Do you want to allow the State of Maine to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples,” was an indirect initiative. That means that because supporters collected the required number of signatures by January 2012 and the […]

The ultimate leadership challenge

by Dan Oswald The day after the 2012 presidential election, a colleague forwarded to me an interview with Michael Siegel, the author of The President as Leader. The interview was conducted by the Washington Post’s Tom Fox and centered around the top attributes of a great leader. In the interview, Siegel points to four leadership […]