Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
Today, in a 5-4 opinion, the U.S. Supreme Court outlined a new rule that employers must consider in disputes over the validity of arbitration agreements. More specifically, the Court had to determine whether under the Federal Arbitration Act, an arbitrator or a court has the authority to determine whether an arbitration agreement is enforceable, and […]
By Stephen Acker and Julia Kennedy As we have repeatedly reported, courts are finding new ways to put money in former employees’ pockets in Canada. Another example is the Ontario Court of Appeal’s recent decision in Link v. Venture Steel Inc. and Ruben Rivas, where it agreed with the trial judge’s decision awarding a former […]
You should encourage and manage diversity in your workplace — not because it’s politically correct (and the right thing to do), but because it helps you improve and maintain your competitive advantage. Today’s fast-paced business world and ever-changing technology have taken employers beyond traditional boundaries, sometimes forcing you to adjust to differences in culture quickly. […]
It seems that the number of people with allergies or sensitivities to various scents and smells has grown substantially. Some of those allergies can be severe, causing severe respiratory difficulties and other serious health issues. Questions continue to arise about the often competing rights of allergic employees and coworkers who wish to be able to […]
The Department of Labor (DOL) has released a report evaluating its Limited English Proficiency and Hispanic Worker Initiative project.The program was launched in 2006 with $4.9 million awarded to organizations in California, Minnesota, Nebraska, New York, and Texas so they could test innovative strategies for delivering language and employment services to limited English proficient and […]
By Keeya M. Jeffrey The U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado recently approved a consent decree resolving a lawsuit filed by the Colorado Department of Justice against a Colorado Springs lawyer who refused to allow a woman, her husband, and her lawyer access to his office for a deposition because the woman brought […]
Forgive me for bragging, but I’ve got a group of fantastic coworkers. Many of them were in action again this morning. You see, some of our people volunteered at the Ronald McDonald House here in Nashville today. As I write this, they’ve already served breakfast to the families staying there and another team will be […]
Nearly two years after Congress passed the ADA Amendments Act (ADAAA), the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced recently that employers should not expect to see new regulations providing a more detailed explanation of the law’s requirements anytime soon. To understand the reasons for the delay and how it may affect employers, we spoke with […]
This morning, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a surprising 5-4 decision holding that the previously short-staffed National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) acted without authority over the two years it had only two members. As a result, more than 500 opinions decided by that Board are now invalid and will need to be readdressed. In addition […]
Today, the U.S. Supreme Court held that a public employer did not violate an employee’s constitutional privacy rights by searching his personal (and often sexually explicit) text messages that were sent and received on his employer-issued pager. The Backstory The City of Ontario, California, issued pagers that could send and receive text messages to Ontario […]