Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
I was intrigued to learn this week that Hewlett-Packard had sued to prevent its former CEO, Mark Hurd, from joining Oracle Corp. as co-president. You may recall that a few weeks ago I commented that I thought HP had done the right thing by parting ways with Mr. Hurd after he violated the company’s standard […]
If an employer grants severance pay to laid-off employees, it must also pay those who were on leave for disabilities at the time of the layoff. A California auto plant failed to do so and has now agreed to pay into a $6 million settlement fund (along with Toyota) to settle an Americans With Disabilities Act […]
Suppose your business has taken a downturn and you decide to implement a reduction in force. Can you lay off a person whose work performance has slipped due to a condition that is covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)? A new federal Court of Appeal opinion says yes, and the ruling also has […]
Does your company have a clear policy on who makes final decisions about employee discipline and terminations? If not, a recent decision from the Ninth Circuit, which covers California, highlights why you should.
A recent judgment offers a lesson in responding to discrimination claims. According to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), an employer has been ordered to pay $37,500 in damages for filing suit against an employee because she filed an equal pay charge.
In brighter economic times, most employers say goodbye to employees only following individual resignations or terminations. But as more and more employers are becoming acquainted with the new “L” word—Layoffs—employees are departing in larger numbers and for different reasons. This makes now a good time to revisit those general releases that employees are asked to […]
Employment law attorney Michael Maslanka reviews Keith Ferrazzi’s book Who’s Got Your Back. Author of the ubernetworking book Never Eat Alone: And Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship at a Time Keith Ferazzi’s latest book Who’s Got Your Back: The Breakthrough Program to Build Deep, Trusting Relationships That Create Success–and Won’t Let You Fail argues […]
Performance appraisals can help strengthen your case if you’re sued by an employee. Providing an inadequate evaluation, or no evaluation at all, can be used against you with devastating results. Juries tend to come down hard on employers who don’t appear to have given an employee a chance to improve.
From Dan Oswald: As a way to honor the individuals who have taught me critical life lessons about people and business, I’ve invited several to write guest columns to run in this space over the next few weeks. Today’s voice of experience is provided by a mentor whose business acumen and people skills have guided […]
A Catholic church’s music director is a “minister” and therefore ineligible to bring employment discrimination claims against the Church, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled, implementing a new U.S. Supreme Court precedent. Phillip Cannata worked as the music director for St. John Neumann Catholic Church, part of the Catholic Diocese of Austin. He […]