Author: Tammy Binford

School Is Cool at More Companies Today

Let’s look at a fast-growing trend in corporate benefits of helping employees who are saddled with education-related debt. Today, we outline the main design elements that will structure leadership’s approaches to the perk.

Should you be an HR leader?

by Allison Gusmus Whether you are a salesperson or a CFO, you should be thinking about the people in your organization. You may think, “I’m in sales, why should I care about the people in my organization?” or “I’m the CFO, numbers are my thing, not people,” but you are dead wrong. It’s part of […]

What now? 5 steps to take if your probe doesn’t corroborate harassment allegations

The avalanche of complaints emboldened by the #metoo movement shows no sign of relenting, and many caught in its crosshairs have been unceremoniously fired or forced to resign based on allegations of harassment. Of course, when such allegations arise in the employment context, employers have a duty to investigate and to take action when there […]

North Carolina worker misclassification law takes effect December 31

by Patricia Heyen The North Carolina Employee Fair Classification Act (EFCA), which will take effect on December 31, provides a mechanism that allows workers to more easily report—and state agencies to more easily prosecute—employers that misclassify workers as independent contractors instead of employees. The new law increases the potential impact of worker misclassification, including higher […]

Take time to recognize accomplishments in 2017

by Dan Oswald I’ve said before on these pages that I don’t do a great job of celebrating our company’s successes. It seems that as we achieve a goal, I immediately look to the next opportunity or focus on a problem area that needs attention when I should be recognizing and congratulating everyone involved in […]

Nevada domestic violence leave law takes effect January 1

by Deanna L. Forbush Nevada’s law requiring employers to provide victims of domestic violence time off, reasonable accommodations, and protection against discrimination and retaliation takes effect January 1. Requirements, definitions The state’s Domestic Violence Leave Act covers all employers. The law states that employees who have worked for an employer for at least 90 days […]

Dismissals for incompetence: Are we moving backward or forward?

by Rhéaume Perreault and Michael Adams It appears that employers in Quebec who wish to dismiss employees for incompetence may now need to accomplish an additional step before doing so. Indeed, the Superior Court of Quebec, in Commission scolaire Kativik v. Ménard, 2017 QCCS 4686, recently confirmed an arbitration decision in which an additional criterion […]

Bill takes aim at forced arbitration of sexual harassment complaints

by Tammy Binford Arbitration, long a favored method of handling workplace disputes, would be removed as an option in sexual harassment and gender discrimination cases if a new bill introduced in Congress becomes law. Often, employment contracts contain arbitration clauses that require disputes to be settled through arbitration instead of litigation. Also, complaint settlements frequently […]

Maine’s minimum wage law change going into effect January 1

by Matthew Jacobson Changes to the Maine minimum wage law taking effect January 1 mean that the minimum wage for tipped workers will continue to be $5 an hour instead of rising $1 an hour like the minimum wage for workers who don’t receive tips. Maine voters approved Question 4 on the 2016 ballot. The […]