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Christian Charity Immune from Religious Discrimination Claim

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits employment discrimination based on an individual’s religion. Unless, that is, your employer is a religious organization. When three former employees sued World Vision, the question was whether the Christian charity qualified for the exemption. In a recent decision, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which […]

DOL proposes rulemaking to implement statutory amendments to FMLA

Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis  announced on Jan. 30 that the U.S. Department of Labor is issuing a notice of proposed rulemaking to implement new statutory amendments to the Family and Medical Leave Act that would expand military family leave provisions and incorporate a special eligibility provision for airline flight crew employees. The FMLA, […]

Who Calls 911? and Other Tricky Disaster Questions

In yesterday’s Advisor, we got expert tips on developing a disaster plan. Today, there’s more on some specific disaster-planning issues and an introduction to a policy program that will help you with your disaster policy and all your key HR policies. Who Calls 911? If somebody needs emergency medical services, or there is another emergency, […]

HR’s holiday guide: A look ahead

With only a week until Thanksgiving, it’s time to start planning for the holidays (if you haven’t already). The holiday season is filled with opportunities to celebrate and thank employees for their hard work. But those opportunities can turn into headaches if you aren’t careful. That’s why this post is the first in a series […]

‘Black Swan’: Big Movie, Big Lawsuit

Two former interns recently sued the producer of the Oscar-winning film “Black Swan” for minimum wage and overtime law violations, hitting headlines nationwide. The case is a good illustration of some of the inherent dangers of taking on interns.

Oklahoma workplace tobacco law revisions effective November 1

by Charles S. Plumb Effective November 1, 2013, two Oklahoma statutes governing how an employer addresses tobacco use in its workplace or by its employees will be revised. Under the new 21 Okla. Stat. § 1247, lighted tobacco products in any form are prohibited in indoor workplaces. With a few exceptions, this prohibition includes work […]

Minimizing Conflicts Over Workplace Diversity

The American workplace is changing. There are more women, minorities, immigrants, nonimmigrant contract workers, non-English-speaking or limited-English-speaking workers, and older workers in the workforce today. Those employees have different needs, expectations, and skills that present many challenges for management. You must not ignore those differences. Ignoring them simply leads to confusion, conflicts, and eventually discrimination […]

It’s time for flu season safeguards in the workplace

by Tammy Binford The headlines are alarming. A virulent flu strain is striking in at least some parts of the country earlier than usual, possibly signaling a rougher-than-normal flu season. Employers who ignore the flu threat risk turning their workplaces into a flu-fueled fever frenzy that gets worse throughout the winter and into spring. A […]