Author: Dominic Verstegen

We’ve Come a Long Way (Except for Michael and Dwight)

Litigation Value: $50,000. In this week’s episode of The Office, Michael Scott is on camera calling Kelly Kapoor dusky and exotic, and then Dwight Schrute, the assistant to the regional manager, refers to her southern India birth before he threatens her. A jury somewhere will find against Dunder Mifflin for race discrimination. Of course, that […]

Facing Up to Facebook and Other Social Networking Web Sites in the Workplace

by Brian Smeenk What if one of your employees reports to you he is very upset about what a coworker (“John”) wrote in a social networking web site about their boss? The statements are false and injure the boss’ reputation. If seen widely, they would be hurtful to the boss’ family. You are shown the […]

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 on November 3. 1. The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life by Alice Schroeder. The life of Warren Buffett. 2. Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution–and How It Can Renew America […]

Election 2008 white paper, time off to vote state laws, sample policy

With the 2008 election in its final days, employers must brace for significant employment law changes. HRHero.com has produced a free white paper on 6 potential employment law changes under new leadership in Washington. The white paper also includes a chart of time off to vote laws taken from HR Hero’s 50 Employment Laws in […]

Office Masquerades as Good Employer

Cost of Trips: $800 Potential Exposure for Out-of-Office Accidents: $25,000 per employee Litigation value for Dunder Mifflin’s missteps: $0. This has to be some kind of record. For the fourth week in a row on The Office, we have a new episode in which no one at Dunder Mifflin did anything to put the company […]

Using Surveillance to Investigate Workers’ Suspicious FMLA Medical Claims

Employers face a real challenge in meeting client and customer needs when staff members take time off work under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) or ask for extensive disability accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). But what’s already a difficult situation can become downright aggravating when you have reason to believe […]

Recognizing Richard Rabbit: A Fable about Being True to Yourself

Resources for Humans managing editor Celeste Blackburn reviews the book Recognizing Richard Rabbit: A Fable about Being True to Yourself by Peter Weddle. Review finds that while book may be useful in therapy setting, it doesn’t offer much for the HR professional. In Recognizing Richard Rabbit: A Fable About Being True to Yourself, Peter Weddle […]

Canada’s Supreme Court Awards RBC Dominion $1.5 Million from Branch Manager Who Defected to Merrill Lynch

by Brian Smeenk On October 9, 2008, the Supreme Court of Canada released its decision in RBC Dominion Securities v. Merrill Lynch Canada. The court restored an award of approximately $1.5 million in damages against a branch manager who had coordinated the defection of almost all his branch’s sales group from RBC to Merrill Lynch. […]

Hot List: Bestselling Business Books on Amazon.com

Amazon.com updates its list of the bestselling business books every hour. Here is a snapshot of what is hot right now, this Monday morning, October 27, in the “Business and Investing” category. 1. The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life by Alice Schroeder. The legendary Omaha investor has never written a memoir, but […]