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From $366 Million to $249,000: Takeaways for Employers from Appellate Ruling on Damages Caps

Among the many perils of litigation, one of the biggest concerns employers express is the risk of an astronomical jury verdict. On Feb. 1, 2024, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals addressed this issue when it cut an eye-popping $366 million jury verdict against FedEx to just $249,000. The decision in Harris v. FedEx Corporate […]

Busting the Winter Blues: 8 Tips to Help Employees Improve Mental Health

Throughout the winter, many people across the U.S. go days or weeks without seeing the sun. Particularly in the Northeast and Midwest, they experience weeks of dark and dreary weather combined with bitter, unrelenting cold. The chilly gloom negatively impacts mental health, sometimes leading to seasonal affective disorder (SAD). In fact, an American Psychiatric Association […]

Hiring Tips for Small Businesses

Even though small businesses make up 99.9% of all businesses in the United States, they only employ 47.8% of all U.S. employees. And sometimes they can’t land top talent when competing against larger enterprises that have more resources and much larger recruiting budgets.

Age Bias—It's Easy to Step into a Discrimination Claim

In an article for ProPublica by Peter Gosselin and Ariana Tobin, the authors use IBM as a case study for the dangers of organizations leaving themselves open to claims of age discrimination. IBM was one of the original “tech” companies—so original that it seems old school compared with names like Facebook, Amazon, and even Microsoft.

Responding to restroom accommodation requests from transgender employees

by Brian Bouchard Fifty-two years ago, Bob Dylan penned the now-famous lyrics “The times they are a-changin’.” True enough, Mr. Dylan, but for many, changes come slowly, and as the late David Bowie sang: “The days still seem the same.” This can be true in regard to laws, which sometimes struggle to keep pace with […]

Gender Pay Gaps—Which Occupations Are Worst?

Pat Shiu, Director of the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, was joined for the chat by Latifa Lyles, Acting Director of the Women’s Bureau (WB), and Jennifer Hunt, chief economist at the Department of Labor (DOL). [Go here for yesterday’s questions and answers] Question from Annalyn Kurtz: In what occupations is the pay gap […]

The Dinner Party

LITIGATION COST: Paying lawyer to review corporate ethics policy: $1,500; paying Michael severance: $5,000; avoiding corporate scandal: priceless. Does any company really want its regional manager to hit up subordinates for money? Does it matter that he did it in his condo rather than his office? The answer to both of these questions is, quite […]

5 Ways to Engage Employees Across Multiple Generations

When it comes to motivating employees, it’s important to understand that different generations have different needs. As a baby boomer, I prefer a more structured work environment that puts a higher value on hard work. Millennials often place a higher importance on work/life balance, timely feedback, and opportunities for career development to thrive in a […]

Tips for Tackling the Opioid Epidemic in the Workplace

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, on the job deaths from drug- or alcohol-related causes have grown 25% annually since 2012. That’s a serious concern. Even worse, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services says that 116 people died every day in 2016 from an opioid overdose, and over 2 million people had an […]