Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
There are dozens of details to take care of in the day-to-day operation of your department and your company. We give you case studies, news updates, best practices and training tips that keep your organization fully in compliance with ever-changing employment law, and you fully aware of emerging HR trends.
Senator Edward Kennedy (D-Mass) has laid out a series of labor proposals for the coming year. They include expanding the federal family leave law to cover employers with as few as 10 workers; requiring employers to contribute to the cost of health insurance for employees and their families; and increasing the federal minimum wage by […]
An employee who is being sexually harassed may want to keep matters private because of embarrassment or fear of retribution. She might complain to you, but refuse to reveal names or ask that you not disclose anything she told you. Or you might hear about the harassment from a concerned co-worker because the victim doesn’t […]
Over the past several years, employers have increasingly turned to staffing firms such as temporary agencies and employee leasing companies to supply workers. And according to the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), many of these so-called ‘contingent’ workers are female and/or minorities. Employers often mistakenly assume that because temps or other contract workers aren’t […]
Discrimination claims continue to be a very real and expensive problem. One way employers are trying to combat workplace bias is by implementing diversity programs. Although the programs aren’t new, many employers are unaware of the serious hidden legal risks involved with diversity training. In one alarming case, Lucky Stores Inc. ended up paying out […]
Habitually absent or late employees can cause big headaches, leading you to discipline or even terminate those who don’t improve. But an employer who fired a worker with peptic ulcers for poor attendance recently learned the importance of using caution before discharging someone who might be covered by the family leave laws.
It was an employer’s worst nightmare come true. A manager fired for sexual harassment turned around and sued for wrongful termination and won $1.7 million in damages. But now, the same case has ended as a significant victory for employers who face charges they fired someone based on untrue allegations.
A jury has handed down a $3.8 million verdict in favor of a hotel manager who complained of race discrimination, thanks to the employer’s overly aggressive reply to the worker’s lawsuit. Rabah Khatib sued his employer, Tower Corp., claiming that he was harassed and discriminated against because he is Arab-American. He also charged that his […]
Federal agencies responsible for enforcing anti-discrimination laws are stepping up their use of ‘testers’-individuals who act as job applicants for the sole purpose of scoping out whether your hiring practices are legal. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is now utilizing outside vendors to conduct the testing. And the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, the […]
A white male employee has a confrontation with a Hispanic female co-worker in a deserted corridor. He grabs her by the lapel, shakes her, and tells her he is ‘tired of this Hispanic s—: us white guys are tired of being looked over.’ Clear grounds for termination? His employer thought so. But in a surprising […]
Congress recently changed the Fair Credit Reporting Act to require employers who obtain background reports on applicants and employees to follow detailed new authorization and disclosure rules. In an earlier article we described how these rules apply to credit reports. In this follow-up story, we’ll explain what the new law means for employers who […]