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Does Your Drug Policy Work for Your Industry?

By Tim Thoelecke Marijuana legalization in many states is catching the attention of human resources professionals nationwide and is drawing attention to all drug use. Drug use poses a serious threat to employee safety and productivity, and illicit drug use often results in greater absenteeism, decreased productivity, and more. In fact, an estimated 23.9 million […]

Case Study: Employee Can’t Show Firing Was Because of Her Gender

Discrimination claims are determined by a three-step analysis. Usually, the third step in this analysis—pretext—is key. Despite the ways in which courts have outlined how pretext for discrimination can be proven, there are times when an employee’s evidence of pretext falls short. A recent case from the U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals is a […]

Not funny: mocking coworker’s spouse’s religion

by Zachary D. Morahan The New York Supreme Court Appellate Division, 2nd Department, recently issued an important decision in which it held that an employer faced liability under the New York State Human Rights Law (NYSHRL) for allowing employees to mock the religious beliefs of a coworker’s spouse. This case has important ramifications for both […]

Supreme Court Refuses to Uphold Title IX Trans Harassment Guidance

On August 16, the Supreme Court refused to lift lower court orders blocking the Department of Education’s (DOE) new regulations protecting LGBTQ+ students from discrimination based on gender identity. The new rule expanded the definition of sex-based discrimination under Title IX to protect gender identity and sexual orientation discrimination in federally funded schools. The entire […]

Faces of HR: How a Lifelong Learner Is Moving the Needle Forward in HR

B Jaye Burchfiel has more than 20 years of strategic HR experience translating business visions into actionable, value-added goals. Throughout her impressive career, Burchfiel has held myriad leadership roles, including serving as HR director for Vyne Dental, as well as HR director roles for both the Marine Accessories Corporation and ATI, Inc.  Currently, Burchfiel serves […]

Workplace Culture: The Impact of March Madness

With March Madness almost over and the championships around the corner, people often wonder what impact sporting events like this have on their organization. How much productivity is lost? Is that a concern? Are there benefits?

DOL Issues AI guidance

On October 16, 2024, the Department of Labor (DOL) issued guidance on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in employment—Artificial Intelligence and Worker Well-Being: Principles and Best Practices for Developers and Employers. The guidance stems from President Joe Biden’s Executive Order 14110 on the Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence issued […]

Walmart’s Embrace of Greater Automation Contributes to Employee Layoffs

Two of the biggest companies in the world dominate what have traditionally been very different segments of the retail market. Walmart is the archetypal big box retailer with thousands of stores covering tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of square feet. On the other side of the retail coin is Amazon, the archetypal […]

transformation

Helping Employees During Times of Change

Change is never easy, even for those who claim to like spontaneity and prefer to “go with the flow.” Change sometimes means abandoning ways of doing things that we thought worked well, which can be frustrating. It can mean losing parts of your job that brought happiness or satisfaction or may simply bring the fear […]