Tag: Employment law

DOL issues updated FMLA forms

by Amanda Shelby The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issues forms for employers to use in the administration of Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) leave. On the heels of the old forms expiring earlier this year, the DOL has issued new forms. The revisions update the expired forms to reference the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination […]

Employers urged to plan now for changes new overtime rules will bring

A regulatory change expected to make some 5 million more employees eligible for overtime pay likely won’t take effect for a year or more, but employers are urged to plan now how they will cope with the change.  David Fortney and Judith Kramer, attorneys with Fortney & Scott, LLC in Washington, D.C., recently conducted a […]

To kill Atticus Finch? HR pros aren’t afraid of the truth

It’s been a long time since I, like nearly any person educated in the United States, read Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. Now, like many other readers out there, it’s back on my bedside table since Ms. Lee consented to publication of her other manuscript, Go Set a Watchman. I haven’t tackled it yet, […]

BC Court of Appeal takes a narrow view of the SCC’s New Labour Trilogy

By Christopher Pigott In a previous article, we reported on the Supreme Court of Canada’s “New Labour Trilogy,” a set of three landmark constitutional law decisions released in January 2015 that raised questions about basic aspects of Canada’s labor relations system. Unsurprisingly, the decisions sparked a huge debate in the Canadian labor law community as […]

It’s August and the office is freezing: Why is that and what should HR do?

The dog days of summer generally aren’t known for temperatures that bring on bouts of shivering—unless you’re among the many who work in office buildings that are not so much air-conditioned as they are refrigerated.  Office thermostat wars can be an issue year-round, but a recent study hitting the news gives freezing workers more ammunition […]

tax

ACA’s ‘Cadillac tax’ is looking more like a ‘Toyota tax’

by Brandon Long For several years now, employers have spent a great deal of time focusing on the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) play-or-pay mandate. Numerous articles have been written and numerous educational seminars have been given discussing issues such as who is subject to the mandate, what the definition of a full-time employee is, and how […]

Deflategate: Tom Brady’s fumble provides valuable lesson about spoliation of evidence

Tom Brady is one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history, but he fumbled big time when he ordered the destruction of his cell phone before he was to be questioned about his involvement in the deflation of footballs during last season’s AFC championship game. Importantly, prior to the phone’s destruction, NFL investigators had asked […]

Changes to the residency requirement for grants of citizenship now in force

by Thora A. Sigurdson On June 11, the sections of the Strengthening Canadian Citizenship Act dealing with the residence requirements for citizenship came into effect. These sections apply to individuals who have obtained permanent resident status in Canada and want to apply for Canadian citizenship. In general terms, it will take longer and require a […]

Are for-smokers-only breaks unfair? Maybe, but usually not illegal

It’s a common frustration for employers: Some workers feel a strong need to break away from work a few – or several – times a day to get their nicotine fix. Other employees just feel a strong need to break away from work. If an employer allows smokers short cigarette breaks at various times through […]

Impending HIPAA audits will focus on risk analysis and training

Now that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services finally appears to be moving ahead with its HIPAA audit program, health plans and other covered entities need to be preparing documentation and shoring up their risk analysis and training, among other things, HIPAA experts suggested in recent webinars. “They’ve been talking about it for […]