Tag: Employment law

If you don’t have anything nice to say…

Lately, have you felt feverish, light-headed, even giddy? Well then you must have Oscar fever. The stars! The gowns! The teeth! My god, those blinding white teeth! For you, March 2, 2014, was a night of luxury, glamour, and take-out noodles because NO WAY you were cooking for the family and risk missing J-Law stumble […]

When can Canadian employment contracts be terminated for ‘frustration’?

By Marc Rodrigue Like any contract, an employment contract can be legally “frustrated” and come to an end. Basically, this may happen when it becomes impossible for one of the parties to perform his or her end of the bargain. For example an employment contract can be frustrated when, because of an illness or injury, […]

Beliebe it or not, the customer isn’t always right

by Teresa Shulda Do we ever get tired of hearing about pop sensation Justin Bieber’s antics? Let’s hope not, because today’s reality HR lesson comes from none other than the Biebs.  Flight of fancy For those of you who haven’t been paying attention or don’t know any tweens, Justin Bieber blasted onto the music scene […]

H-1B visa season is upon us

by Elaine Young It’s that time of year again, when employers that want to hire recent college graduates and other professionals begin to file H-1B visa petitions. The first possible start date for most H-1B employees is the first day of the federal fiscal year, October 1. Because U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) accepts […]

I believe you have my stapler

Ever flip through the channels on a lazy Saturday afternoon and come across an oldie but goodie? This happened to me recently with the movie Office Space, a workplace classic. While I can’t imagine a world where everyone hasn’t seen Office Space, here is a quick plot summary. Peter Gibbons (played by Ron Livingston, pictured […]

More rigorous regime for employers of temporary foreign workers

By Gilda Villaran As we have repeatedly reported, there have been many changes to Canada’s immigration program in the past year. So many, in fact, that it has been hard to keep track of all the new legislative and regulatory amendments and new administrative measures. Yet another important change to the Temporary Foreign Workers Program […]

EEOC sends employers strong signals on medical leave

by Troy D. Thompson Over the last several months, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has filed a significant number of lawsuits alleging disability discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) against employers across the country. The cases are instructive because they highlight the EEOC’s current enforcement policies, identify common areas of risk under […]

Building an ethical culture: What HR needs to know

Human resources professionals spend a lot of time working to create a respectful work environment. Much of that effort is necessary to stay in compliance with antidiscrimination and other workplace laws, but a true focus on ethics goes beyond legal compliance.  Susan Alevas, an attorney, management consultant, and president of Alevas Consulting Group, Inc., recently […]

UPS Attendance Policy Under Fire for Second Time

An automatic termination policy for employees taking more than 12 months of consecutive leave limits the ability of qualified individuals with a disability to return to work and may act as a “qualification standard” that violates the Americans with Disabilities Act, a federal district court has ruled. The ruling by the U.S. District Court for […]