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Have You Heard of a Returnship?

Employers everywhere are finding that a robust economy and low unemployment means fewer applicants for any given role. It’s often difficult to find a well-qualified employee when a vacancy presents itself. As such, they’re thinking of creative ways to expand the talent pool and find candidates who are a good fit.

Why the Trend Toward Variable Performance Pay?

“Employers want to end the entitlement mentality of across-the-board increases and move to a pay-for-performance mentality,” says consultant Teri Morning, MBA, MS, SPHR, SPHR-CA. “Organizations are looking for less expensive, less permanent solutions, such as lump sum payments, bonuses, or just paying top performers,” she adds. Increasingly, employers are less averse to withholding merit increases […]

diversity and inclusion

Navigating the Evolving DEI Landscape: A Science-Based Approach

Corporate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives are facing a rocky legal landscape following the Supreme Court’s ruling on affirmative action. In a recent WorkLife article, legal expert David Glasgow suggested that DEI programs can face legal risks when they meet the “three Ps”: preference to a legally protected group with respect to a palpable […]

California Employee’s Inability to Return to Work Dooms Disability Case

by Marianne Koepf, Carothers DiSante & Freudenberger LLP Winning summary judgment (a judgment in your favor without a full trial) in a disability discrimination case is rare for employers in California. Disability cases are often factually messy and involve complex legal issues. However, it can be done, as the California Court of Appeal’s recent decision […]

The power of a PIP – performance improvement plan

By Marie-Julie Lanctôt Under their management rights, employers may establish fair, accurate, and achievable performance standards. A recent decision from the Labour Relations Board of Quebec, Piché et Impérial Tobacco Compagnie ltée, 2012 QCCRT 0600 (decision available in French only), serves to illustrate how Canadian employers may properly dismiss employees for poor work performance despite […]

Healthcare Countdown Too Complex? Sorry, SCOTUS Says ‘Get Going’

Here, for example, is a (brief?) summary of what you and your organization will face in 2013: Health Insurance Administration Simplification During 2013 and on to 2016, HHS is to develop uniform standards to reduce the clerical burden on patients, healthcare providers, and health plans. A health plan must comply with the new requirements by […]

Workplace Introverts: Debunking the Myths

Introverts—they are the new extroverts, right? Quiet, reserved, always sensing and watching. Listening for the next nugget of innovation to grace the lips of a colleague. Or are they tormented by the thought of communication and interaction? Do their extroverted cohorts drive them batty? Or the question that matters, the question I pose is—does it […]

Evaluations: How Can We Encourage Honest Performance Appraisals?

I’ve been reading about how important it is from a legal standpoint to give accurate performance appraisals, and when I look over ours, I know we’re not doing that—basically everyone is “good” or “excellent,” even though managers complain about poor workers. I know we’re going to get in trouble if we fire any of these […]

March Madness at work: Can it be a slam dunk?

by Tammy Binford “Team building” is a term that gets a lot of buzz among those interested in fostering collaboration and camaraderie in the workplace. Executives are eager to sponsor activities to nurture creativity and productivity, and they sometimes focus their efforts on helping employees have fun at work.   With March Madness in full swing, […]