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Hiring Foreign Workers: Congress Ups Quota For H-1B Visas; Practical Impact

Grappling with a chronic shortage of computer programmers and other skilled workers, the high-tech industry successfully lobbied long and hard for an expansion of the H-1B visa program. Employers should face fewer delays in hiring foreign professionals now that Congress has raised the annual limit on H-1B work visas and changed the rules to make […]

Employers See Dramatic Rise in Pregnancy Discrimination Claims

The Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA) is back in the news as the U.S. Supreme Court considers whether AT&T violated the Act by paying reduced pension benefits based on uncredited pregnancy leave taken before enactment of the PDA in 1978. That upcoming decision may influence whether companies have to change their policies retroactively to comply with […]

Employer Settles With EEOC After Providing the Wrong Accommodation

An employer will pay $88,500 to settle claims that it failed to provide the right accommodation to a worker with a disability, in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The settlement resolves a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission behalf of Jose Arteaga Rivas, a sheet metal mechanic who worked for […]

What Concerns HR? Survey Says …

Recent surveys of the profession show few surprises in what concerns HR. The surprises are in what doesn’t concern you as much. As fall is traditionally the time of year when businesses assess their positions and plan for their futures, we thought it might be a good time for a “state of HR” assessment. What […]

Employment Law Tip: Parental Leave for School Activities

It’s hard to believe, but many schools will be back in session in just a few weeks, which means that parents may be called upon to make an appearance at their children’s schools. Now’s a good time for employers to review the rules regarding when parents can take work leave to participate in their kids’ […]

Trade Secrets: New Case Shows Importance Of Taking Proper Steps To Safeguard Your Trade Secrets

In a new case, an employer argued that even when there’s no evidence that a former employee misappropriated trade secrets, you should be able to block the person from working for a competitor merely by demonstrating that the employee’s new job duties would inevitably cause them to rely on your trade secrets. We’ll tell you […]

Why You Want Your Employees to Be Content Creators

In the modern age of the Internet and social media, employees are always accessing and sharing content, whether it’s about your organization or not. The average person spends a lot of time on the Internet and social media creating, reading, engaging with, or sharing content, so you should encourage your employees to be content creators for your organization. Continue reading to learn more […]

Productivity Is Not a ‘Social Media’ Issue

Some managers want the productivity losses from social media activity at work to be a tricky “social media” issue, but it’s not, says attorney Molly DiBianca. “It’s a simple management issue, just like somebody taking too many cigarette breaks. The supervisor or manager has to enforce rules and impose discipline if necessary.” DiBianca, who is […]

DOL’s new ‘persuader’ rule goes into effect July 1

by Steven R. Semler The U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) new “persuader” rule is set to take effect on July 1. The rule will require employers and their attorneys and consultants to file with the DOL for public disclosure all agreements and payments to attorneys and consultants for providing advice, counter-organizational campaign training, and assistance […]