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Discipline—Don’t Let Supervisors Go It Alone

Don’t let your supervisors discipline employees on their own, says attorney Jeffrey Wortman. Keep HR involved. Supervisors and managers about to impose discipline are often frustrated, angry, and at the end of their ropes. That’s not a good place for clear thinking and rational discipline. Wortman, a partner in the Los Angeles office of national […]

Hate Crimes Fell 15 Percent in 2009

According to the 2009 Hate Crime Statistics report released by the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program, the number of hate crimes reported in 2009 fell about 15% from the previous year. Participating local law enforcement agencies reported a total of 6,604 incidents — down from 7,783 reported incidents in 2008 — involving 7,789 offenses as […]

Ghost of Christmas Past: Firing Union Supporters Can Come Back to Haunt You

By David McDonald Most Canadian employers are familiar with what they can and can’t do when they’re the target of a union-organizing campaign. Labor legislation across Canada prohibits management from terminating or disciplining employees because of trade union affiliation while a union is attempting to gain representational rights. A recent decision from British Columbia, Playtime […]

Wage and Hour: Do I Have to Pay for Time Employees Spend Going Through Security Screenings and Changing Clothes?

Many of our employees have to spend time at the workplace before and after their actual work. They have lengthy security checks, protective equipment that must be donned, and then a 15-minute ride to their workstations. The employees are saying that they should be paid for all this time, but I don’t think so because […]

National Coffee Day Survey—Top 10 Professions That Most Need the Perk at Work

According to the results, the professions with the highest proportions of workers stating they are less productive without coffee vary widely. Those who need coffee to get through the workday the most are: Food Preparation/Service Workers Scientists Sales Representatives Marketing/Public Relations Professionals Nurses (Nurse, Nurse Practitioner, or Physician Assistant) Editors/Writers/Media Workers Business Executives Teachers/Instructors (K–12) […]

How to Develop a Stress-Free Company Culture (Part 1)

Businesses lose hundreds of billions annually in healthcare costs, missed workdays, and lost productivity due to stress employees experience in the workplace. According to one study, 52% of employees admit to calling in sick because they’re stressed out. And 60%–80% of accidents that occur on the job are due to distractions or sleepiness caused by […]

Louisiana: RIP EFCA, Paycheck Fairness Act

by Mark Adams, Jones Walker At first glance, nothing significant came out of Louisiana. No Tea Party candidates to create excitement. Republicans and Democrats each lost a U.S. House seat and won a seat they hadn’t controlled, so no contribution to the change of control in the House. However, the Republican takeover of the House […]

News Notes: Communications With EAP Counselors Are Privileged

Oksana Oleszko sued her employer, State Compensation Insurance Fund, for sexual harassment, racial and national-origin discrimination and retaliation. To help prove her claims, Oleszko asked the court to force State Fund to reveal communications between co-workers and unlicensed counselors in its employee assistance program. State Fund balked, saying disclosure would discourage employees from seeking needed […]

‘Trainee’ Informed She’s Not Entitled to Minimum Wage, Overtime

A salon in Queens will pay more than $5,000 to a manicurist after allegedly telling a worker she was a “trainee” and not entitled to minimum wage or overtime. The employer also informed the woman she would have to pay a deposit to work at the salon. According to a press statement by New York […]

HHS Describes Employer Process to Undo Exchanges’ Decisions

The health care reform process under which employers can contest adverse determinations (that can trigger pay-or-play penalties) due to an insurance exchange finding that their plans fail to provide minimum essential coverage was finalized in program integrity rules put on public display on Aug. 29 by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The […]