Author: Kyla Stott-Jess

Appeal Court Overrides Extravagant Jury Award in Wrongful Dismissal Case

By Kyla Stott-Jess Canadian employers that fear large jury awards in wrongful dismissal cases can breathe a little easier in the wake of a recent Alberta Court of Appeal decision. In Elgert v. Home Hardware Stores Ltd., the court of appeal said a $500,000 jury award for aggravated and punitive damages in a wrongful dismissal […]

Dwight. Pray. Love.

Litigation Value: $0.00.  But Dwight needs to put at least $20 in the collection plate. Sometimes The Office does not take place in the office. Such was the case in this week’s repeat broadcast of “Christening,” which takes place on a Sunday at Jim’s and Pam’s church. As guests file in, Dwight Schrute hands out […]

unlimited vacation

Unlimited Vacation Policies: Pros, Cons, and Pitfalls

Unlimited vacation is a growing trend that may be a good way for organizations to provide an incentive or bonus to employees to reward them for good work without increasing salaries or providing bonuses or other kinds of incentives. The concept of unlimited vacation is very simple: Employees can take vacation, personal, and sick time […]

Summer Will Be Sweltering for 1,000 Employers Caught in Latest ICE Crackdown

Temperatures aren’t the only things heating up this week. On Wednesday, June 15, the Obama administration shifted the ever-intensifying immigration dialogue back to federal turf when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced that it will begin conducting its second round of immigration audits this year. Authorities with ICE, a division of the Department of […]

Hot List: Wall Street Journal’s Bestselling Hardcover Business Books

The following is a list of the bestselling hardcover business books as ranked by the Wall Street Journal with data from Nielsen BookScan. 1. StrengthsFinder 2.0: A New and Upgraded Edition of the Online Test from Gallup’s Now, Discover Your Strengths by Tom Rath. Are you unsure where your true talents lie? Do you feel […]

Boeing’s Right to Relocate Some Operations to South Carolina before NLRB

Tuesday, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) will begin its unfair labor practice case against Boeing, insisting that the company may not move some of its operations from Washington to South Carolina because the move might somehow violate workers’ rights. The outcome of this case goes well beyond South Carolina, but it is vitally important […]

Canadian Decisions Blur Distinction between Employees and Independent Contractors

By Ralph Nero and Keri Bennett Employers in Canada have typically understood employees and independent contractors to fall into distinct legal categories. However, recent court and labor board decisions indicate that the traditional definition of “employee” continues to expand. Ontario court interprets health and safety obligations In Ontario (Labour) v. United Independent Operators Limited, Ontario’s […]

Shaking the Opportunity Tree

Sometimes You Need to Shake the Opportunity Tree

I ran into a good friend the other day at our kids’ baseball game. After the usual pleasantries, he said, “I’m glad you’re here, we really need to talk.” So we moved away from the rest of the crowd and he began to tell me about an incredible opportunity that he had been presented. His […]

Bippity Boppity Give Darryl the Zoppity

Next on our list of possible candidates for Michael Scott’s recently vacated position is Darryl Philbin, also known as “Mittah Rogers” (but only by Michael). Darryl has come a long way since we first met him in Season 1 as he watched Dwight suddenly emerge from a box in the warehouse. Here’s my list of pros and cons for […]

DOL, IRS, Congress Want to ‘Help’ Workers Who Think They Are Misclassified as Independent Contractors

by Vaughn Burkholder and Tara Eberline What do the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and Congress have in common? Sound like a setup for a bad joke? The punch line is that each of those federal entities has announced its intention to focus on employers’ misclassification of employees as independent […]