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Healthcare Reform: 10 Changes for Employers

As everyone knows by now, President Obama has just signed legislation that makes major changes to the healthcare system in the United States. Some of the changes will affect employers in significant ways — 10 of which are discussed below: 1. Employer Responsibilities. Beginning in 2014, the legislation will require an employer with more than […]

Secretary of labor speaks at major federal contractor conference

by Emily L. Bristol To focus on the importance of the federal contractor community’s role in President Barack Obama’s commitment to enacting change with the “power of the pen,” Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez spoke in early August at the 2014 National Industry Liaison Group’s (NILG) national meeting in Washington, D.C. This was the first […]

Harlem Shake: Dancing Underground Gets Miners Unemployed

Several miners were fired after a video of them dancing in underground tunnels, some shirtless, came to the attention of the employer. Up to 15 workers at the Agnew gold mine in Gold Fields, Australia, have been terminated and banned for life from Barminco projects after they filmed themselves doing their own rendition of the […]

News Notes: Employer Cited For Ineffective Workplace Violence Program

Xerox Corp. has been cited by the Hawaii Occupational Safety and Health Division for not developing an effective workplace violence prevention program that might have averted a mass shooting by a copy machine repairman that left seven co-workers dead. The agency charged that Xerox failed to train managers to recognize and reduce potential hazards as […]

Faithfully expecting: religious accommodations and employer-mandated vaccination policies

An “informal discussion letter” from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) indicates that employers should carefully weigh religious objections by pregnant employees, specifically in the context of employer-mandated vaccination policies. Background In February 2012, a healthcare provider wrote the EEOC requesting a formal interpretation of the application of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act […]

It’s time to get on the winning side of the sexual orientation issue

by Kylie Crawford, TenBrook Not long ago, I heard a story about George Wallace, Alabama’s governor in the 1960s and one of the leading advocates for Jim Crow laws and segregation. He is well-known for his “stand at the schoolhouse door,” where he attempted to prohibit two black students from registering for classes at the […]

Appraisals—Lots of Work, Any Benefit?

Appraisers and appraisees alike complain about performance evaluations. They’re a lot of work; they generate a lot of discomfort; and they don’t always produce a clear benefit. In today’s issue, step-by-step recommendations from BLR’s editors. 1. Get the Employee Started. Set a meeting date, and give the employee his or her self-appraisal materials well ahead […]

More Amendments to Human Rights Legislation in Canada

by Katie Clayton and Farrah Sunderani Over the past couple of years, human rights legislation across Canada has undergone a period of transition. This comes as a response to growing dissatisfaction with outdated statutes and the lengthy processes in place to resolve complaints. Amendments to the British Columbia Human Rights Code were proposed in 2002 […]