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Employers await effects of Executive Order on immigration

While political wrangling over President Barack Obama’s newest Executive Order rages, employers need to understand the impact the immigration order will have on their workplaces. Obama announced what he’s calling the Immigration Accountability Executive Actions in an address November 20. A fact sheet from the White House says the order will “crack down on illegal […]

Employer Shining Beacon During Economic Slump

For the third year, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) teamed up with Winning Workplaces to create its list of Top Small Workplaces for 2009. As the article notes, when faced with tough economic times, many employers try to cut just about everything that may be considered nonessential, including employee benefits, wellness plans, and other innovative […]

Wellness: Everyone Wins—Including the Lawyers

Wellness programs—win-win and no legal hassles, right? Actually, there are a number of legal pitfalls awaiting the unwary wellness manager. For example, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), the Internal Revenue Code, and the Genetic Information Nondisclosure Act (GINA) all have requirements that bear on wellness programs. […]

Employer Without Proper FMLA Policy and Procedures Must Face a Jury

By Kyle Johnson, JD The 6th Circuit—which covers Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and Tennessee—recently ruled that an employee who was allegedly laid off while she was on leave covered by the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) was entitled to a jury trial because the employer’s lack of written policies left unresolved questions about her status.

Almost Royal: How Not to Conduct an Interview

The BBC’s faux reality show, Almost Royal, follows the lives of British aristocrat siblings, Poppy and Georgie Carlton as they tour the United States with their father’s ashes in tow. After their father’s untimely demise from a shooting accident, this brother-sister duo travel across the Atlantic to tour the country that their father loved in accordance […]

Wired Employees: Great for Productivity—and Liability

These days, it seems as though most every employee needs a cell phone, pager, or PDA. While these devices can be great for productivity, says employment attorney Sarah Weitz, they can also create liability. Digital devices can pose problems ranging from safety to wage and hour and productivity, says attorney Sarah Weitz, blogging on hreonline.com. […]

Encouraging New Managers to Express Emotions

The descriptor “emotional” often has a negative connotation, especially in the workplace. It can conjure up images of someone who lacks control, loses his or her temper, and lacks sound judgment. But Kristi Hedges, in an article for Harvard Business Review, notes that this association—and the corresponding reluctance to show emotion in the workplace—can actually […]

Hiring Athletes as Employees

Once a colleague told me that he thought hiring former athletes was a risky proposition. His take was that while they were often charismatic, on average they just weren’t as smart as most. I politely reminded him that I considered myself a former athlete (with the emphasis on “former”), to which he had to think […]