Author: Karen Sargeant

Declaration to ‘Make Employee Whole’ Very Costly for Employers

By Karen Sargeant You give your employee almost 32 weeks’ pay after terminating his employment without cause. He gets another job two weeks later. You’re off the hook, right? Maybe not. The Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Brito v. Canac Kitchens, a Division of Kohler Canada Co. has recently said no. Instead, you may […]

Shhh — It’s a Secret

It’s official. James Spader’s uber-intense character, Robert California, is going to be the new big boss on The Office. My colleague, Kristin Gray, excitedly revealed this news in her post two weeks ago. Kristin, its seems, was a fan of Spader’s character on Boston Legal, which I applaud her for admitting on the Internet. For […]

You Are Fired on post it note

When in Doubt, Fire Your Staff

by Mark I. Schickman Across America, California employment laws are considered very liberal, too far left. But, in England, the employment law of every American state is viewed as only a cut above indentured servitude. Their legal establishment is disdainful of America’s “regressive” employment laws, and many tribunals will simply refuse to enforce our “barbaric” […]

Attorneys, HR Pros Participate in Public Hearing on NLRB Election Rules

Often a source of interest and concern for employers and unions alike, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has been particularly top of mind in recent weeks. Observers have noted uncertainty over whether the agency will be able to muster a quorum as terms end this year for two of the five members. Additionally, business […]

Hot List: New York Times Bestselling Hardcover Business Books

The following is a list of the bestselling hardcover business books as ranked by the New York Times with data from Nielsen BookScan on July 18. 1. Reckless Endangerment: How Outsized Ambition, Greed, and Corruption Led to Economic Armageddon by Gretchen Morgenson and Joshua Rosner. This account of the Wall Street implosion highlights individuals who […]

Dress Code Considerations for a Diverse Workforce

By Carolyn A. Wade Society’s standards (or lack thereof) regarding clothing and grooming have certainly changed over the last 50 years. Taking a trip on an airplane used to mean “dressing up” and wearing the kind of clothes you would wear to church ― a suit and tie or a dress and heels. Now people […]

Lawmakers Try to Address Workplace Gender Identity Issues

Gender identity disorder is a medically recognized condition in which a person’s gender identity doesn’t match his genetic sex. In some cases, the recommended standard of care is counseling and sex reassignment therapy, which includes representing yourself as the gender corresponding to your identity, hormone replacement therapy, and, eventually, gender reassignment surgery. Although federal law […]

Egyptian Copt Claims Race and National Origin Discrimination

Under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, you are prohibited from discriminating against individuals based on several protected classes, including race and national origin. In the following case, an Arkansas Children’s Hospital (ACH) physician claimed that his ethnicity and national origin prompted the revocation of his hospital privileges. Read on to learn […]

A Look at America’s Disabled Population as the ADA Turns 21

July 26 will mark the 21st anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which guarantees equal opportunity for people with disabilities in public accommodations, commercial facilities, employment, transportation, state and local government services, and telecommunications. Here are some statistics about disabled Americans from the U.S. Census Bureau: There are 36 million disabled […]

Canadian Court Broadly Defines ‘Constructor’ in Safety Case

By Rosalind Cooper Which party on a construction project is the “constructor”? While some provinces in Canada use this term, other provinces use slightly different terms, such as prime contractor. All are meant to refer to the party at the workplace that has overall responsibility for health and safety on the construction project. It’s generally […]