Author: Adam Klarfeld

Office Olympics

With the Olympics in full swing this summer, reruns of The Office have been replaced with reruns of the Olympics (OK, tape-delayed events, but you get the idea). I can only assume this means that every workplace in the entire world is now hosting its very own office-themed Olympics with events ranging from office-chair races to Flonkerton. (In Season 2, […]

New Illinois law protects social networking passwords

By Steve Brenneman Illinois has joined a growing trend to protect workers from employers that want access to their Facebook or other social networking accounts. On August 1, Governor Pat Quinn signed into law an amendment to the Illinois Right to Privacy in the Workplace Act. Under the law, which is effective January 1, 2013, […]

Alabama law banning texting while driving takes effect

Alabama’s law banning texting while driving went into effect August 1, meaning you need to be careful not to encourage employees to text and drive while on the job. House Bill 2 prohibits “any person from operating a motor vehicle on a public street, road, or highway while also text messaging on a handheld cell […]

Top 10 tips for conducting an effective sexual harassment investigation

by Lauren M. Cooper Employers must take all reasonable steps to prevent harassment from occurring. You must also promptly correct any sexually harassing behavior that has occurred. Effectively investigating harassment complaints and promptly intervening are critical to both of those goals. Prevention of the harassing behavior is the ultimate objective. Effective and immediate intervention also […]

Woman Golfing

Life is just that way sometimes

I’m not much of a golfer. In fact, I’m no golfer at all. But my youngest son has caught golf fever and, as a result, I got to watch the final round of the British Open on television. The golf didn’t interest me as much as the mental aspects of what transpired. If you didn’t […]

When does post-termination conduct amount to cause?

by Jennifer Shepherd Can a Canadian employer justify an employee’s dismissal for acts committed after he or she has been fired? The answer is: sometimes. In Gillespie v. 1200333 Alberta Ltd., an Alberta court overturned a lower court ruling that permitted an employer to retroactively justify an employee’s termination because the employee removed confidential documents […]

Angry Andy Revisited

Potential Litigation Value:  “Priceless” We are well into the summer re-run season and this week’s episode was no exception.  The gently viewed episode of “Angry Andy” allows us to revisit the importance of having a strong and dependable HR department.  The following quote encapsulates Dunder Mifflin’s HR department and also may explain why there are so many […]

‘Helicopter parents’ of young employees soaring into the workplace

Not so many decades ago, a vocal segment of the youngest members of the adult population warned their peers to never trust anyone over 30. They were eager to leave the nest and make the world their own. But today, not so much — at least among a noticeable group. Human resources professionals are noting […]

OSHA kicks off summer heat campaign

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has launched a national outreach initiative to educate workers and employers about the hazards of working outside in hot weather. The effort builds on last year’s successful summer campaign to raise awareness about the dangers of too much sun and heat. With the temperatures so far this summer […]

The ends don’t justify the means

If you’ve read any of my writing, you know I hold legendary football coach Vince Lombardi in high regard. I’m a lifelong Green Bay Packers fan and have great admiration for the man who coached the team during the 1960s, so I often quote him when I write. One quote often attributed to Lombardi is, […]