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Termination clause as a ticking time bomb: Are courts in Ontario changing approach?

by Marc Rodrigue To the chagrin of many employers in Canada, the courts have made the drafting and enforcement of termination provisions in an employment contract challenging. In recent years, case law in Ontario has been particularly harsh in striking down termination provisions that may be contrary to the statutory provisions of the Ontario Employment […]

Avoid Overtime Overages From Mobile Device Use

Employers need to spell out their policies for off-hours use of mobile devices for work purposes or they risk racking up unnecessary overtime. Mobile devices have worked their way into virtually every area of our lives, both at work and at home. You may even be reading this blog on a smart phone or tablet […]

Record HIPAA Settlement: Advocate Health Care Pays $5.55 Million

Advocate Health Care Network (Advocate) has agreed to pay $5.55 million to settle with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights (OCR), multiple potential Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) violations involving electronic protected health information (ePHI). This is the largest HIPAA settlement to date against a single entity.

Employee Leave—How Are Best Companies Handling It?

Participate in our brief survey and see how what you are doing stacks up against what other successful companies are doing. We’ll get answers to these questions and more: What kind of paid leaves are offered? (Bereavement? Vacation? Holidays? Maternity/Paternity? Jury Duty?) Do you offer vacation and sick leave or paid time off (PTO)? How […]

Pay Transparency: What Are a Contractor’s Defenses?

By Susan Schoenfeld, JD In September 2015, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) published a final rule implementing Executive Order (EO) 13665, Non-Retaliation for Disclosure of Compensation Information. The final rule and the EO prohibit federal contractors from discharging or discriminating in any way against employees or applicants who inquire about, discuss, or […]

Does Your Material-Handling Training Stack Up?

Although the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) does not provide much specific direction concerning safe stacking and storage, 29 CFR 1910.176(b) of the material-handling standard does generally require secure workplace storage of materials. The regulation states: “Storage of material shall not create a hazard. Bags, containers, bundles, etc., stored in tiers shall be stacked, […]

New West Virginia law allows hiring preference for veterans

by Thomas S. Kleeh West Virginia will join the list of states that allow hiring preferences for veterans when a new law takes effect on June 22. House Bill 4507 was signed into law on March 24. Its purpose is to assist veterans and disabled veterans in securing employment. The new law amends the provisions […]

Downsizing: How Can We Prevent Unfounded Lawsuits After RIFs?

Our company is going to go through a prolonged period of significant downsizing. A recent seminar told us to expect a retaliatory wave of unfounded allegations, grievances, and lawsuits by disgruntled employees. Can you suggest steps we can take to protect ourselves against these attacks? Should we retain specialists? What do you recommend we do?  […]

Tech Titan’s Talk Targets Top Tech Talent

Say that three times fast! Is your company looking to retain or attract top talent that specializes in technology-related fields? You may want to take a page out of the U.S. government’s playbook then.