Tag: Employment law

Fire all the “cripples” and the “fatties?!”

As I mentioned in my July post, the film Horrible Bosses has enough material for weeks’ worth of blog posts. With three atrocious bosses blatantly making the lives of their employees miserable and disregarding a long list of employment laws, it is certainly a plaintiffs’ attorney’s dream situation and an HR manager’s nightmare. I am sure […]

Making sure promotion decision isn’t discriminatory is no laughing matter

It’s not easy deciding who is right for a job. Employers have to study a candidate’s qualifications, education, experience, demeanor, and more. But sometimes the decision comes down to the little things—even a person’s laugh. The question an employer must consider is whether such a seemingly small factor poses any legal risk. Current employee wants […]

Labor Day can be reminder of how workforce has changed

With Labor Day coming up, employers may be thinking about more than just how to celebrate the last holiday of summer. It’s also a time to look at the status of the American workforce, where it’s been and where it’s going. The U.S. Census Bureau notes the first observation of Labor Day took place on […]

Dangers of hiring unpaid interns

by Heather L. Devine Recent cases call attention to the risk of using unpaid interns. Employers that aren’t cautious may be found in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Recent decisions In a case many of you may have heard about, a U.S. district court judge concluded on June 11, 2013, that Fox […]

And the Gold Medal in Flonkerton goes to…

If you’ve worked in your share of offices, you’ve probably seen at least one coworker post the following sign: “The Beatings Will Continue Until Morale Improves.” Ah, yes. Morale. It’s six little letters, but it’s a big concept–especially when you start considering all of the ways that employee morale relates to productivity and profitability. Happy […]

No more human rights forum shopping?

By Lindsey Taylor A few weeks ago, we reported on the recent decision in Baker v. Navistar Canada Inc., which confirmed that unionized employees aren’t able to bring employment claims to court. Rather, these claims must be brought within the framework of the special legal relationship between the union and the employer, either by way […]

EEO reporting: It’s time!

by Gary S. Fealk It is once again time for employers to report the demographics of their workforce to the Joint Reporting Committee of the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The report, which is commonly referred to as an EEO-1 report, typically must be filed between […]

What Supreme Court’s DOMA decision means for employers

by Maria Reed On June 26, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Section 3 of the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which had mandated that “in determining the meaning of any Act of Congress, or of any ruling, regulation, or interpretation of the various administrative bureaus and agencies of the United States, the word ‘marriage’ […]

Employees required to prove what they didn’t steal

By Kyla Stott-Jess A recent Alberta Court of Appeal case, 581257 Alberta Ltd. v. Aujla, is good news for employers. The court reversed the normal onus of proof, requiring the employees to prove that certain monies they deposited into their bank account were not stolen from their employer.

Biogenesis and the (Bad) Boys of Summer

For some people, summer evokes thoughts of sunshine and long walks on the beach with sand under their bare feet (sounds like the setting of a Nicholas Sparks novel … or so I’m told). For me, I think of baseball. As an annual subscriber to MLB Extra Innings, I think of the plethora of games […]