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New Oklahoma law confirms enforceability of nonsolicitation agreements

Although noncompetition agreements remain unenforceable under state law, a new law confirms that Oklahoma employers may enforce agreements prohibiting former employees from soliciting a company’s employees to leave their jobs to work for another employer. For some time, Oklahoma employers have been able to contractually prohibit former employees from soliciting workers for a reasonable period […]

Holiday Familiarity … At What Point Do Managers Lose Respect?

During the holidays, traditional lines of workplace authority become blurred, and respect for management authority can be the victim. Here are some do’s and don’ts to maintain it … at holiday time and anytime. Holiday season is here, and we all know what that means, don’t we? Why, you can hear the strains of “Silver […]

Could Taking on Unpaid Summer Interns Lead to Trouble Under the FLSA?

However, warns Evelyn Gentry, Faegre Baker Daniels LLP, there are downsides for employers that use unpaid interns, the most notable being potential violations of the FLSA. Misclassifying employees as unpaid interns, and thereby denying them federal minimum wage and overtime wages can result in costly litigation, civil fines, or both. Furthermore, employers who willfully violate […]

News Notes: Poor Performance Review Leads to $517,000 Age Discrimination Verdict

A 56-year-old facilities coordinator who claimed her performance review was downgraded to justify her termination has been awarded $517,077 in damages. Dion Woodward sued Kaiser Foundation Hospital in Los Angeles for age discrimination after she was fired and allegedly replaced with a 38-year-old. Woodward worked for Kaiser for 31 years and claimed she always received […]

Balancing Work and Cancer: How HR and Managers Can Help

By Rebecca V. Nellis, MPP, Chief Mission Officer, Cancer and Careers A cancer diagnosis often catches people by surprise. When the person with cancer is one of your employees, knowing how to react is not intuitive. The truth is, when an employee discloses their diagnosis to you, they are looking for direction. Your next steps […]

Splitting Up Meal Breaks: A Bad Idea

Our subscribers often ask us if they can split up an employee’s meal break. For example, if an employee has a meeting or training session that interferes with the 30-minute lunch break, can you as an employer have the person take 15 minutes after five hours worked, and then take the other 15 minutes later […]

Flex—’Nice-to-Have’ or Business Imperative?

“Flexibility is a business imperative,” says consultant Diane Burrus. It’s not “nice-to-have,” it’s a results-based business strategy.’ Her practical tips in today’s Advisor. At World at Work’s Total Rewards conference held recently in San Diego, sessions on flextime were eagerly attended. Burrus shared her tips for developing a flex program that supports the business while […]

Americans with Disabilities Act: EEOC Issues New Fact Sheet Explaining When Telecommuting Is a Reasonable Accommodation

Many employers have discovered that successful telework arrangements can provide high levels of flexibility and employee satisfaction. And, as a new fact sheet from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission points out, you may be required to consider telework as a reasonable accommodation for disabled employees. Modifying Telework Programs The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) […]

Workingjay

Inspired by The Hunger Games trilogy, some employers may feel the urge to pile the employees onto a bus, head off site, and pit coworker against coworker in some form of physical competition under the guise of “team building.” Savvy employers are always looking for new and better ways to motivate the troops, solidify relationships, and build […]

Is Your Workplace an ‘Experience’?

Do your employees and clients view your workplace as just a facility? At Square, founded by Jack Dorsey, inventor of Twitter, the workplace is an “experience”—complete with an on-site barista! According to an article in Fast Company, the mobile credit-card and money payment system company, with offices in San Francisco, New York City, and Atlanta, […]