Tag: Employment law

Breadwinner, caregiver, or both: Is it a new day for Dad in the workplace?

Prince William is back at work now, but immediately following the birth of his baby on July 22, he took some time off from his duties in the British Royal Air Force – paid time off. American golfer Hunter Mahan also famously left work recently because his wife was ready to deliver their baby. He […]

Nursing mothers have ‘privacy rights’

by Jeff Hurt On March 23, 2010, President Barack Obama signed the health care reform bill ― officially known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Part of the Act that didn’t get much media attention affects nursing mothers in the workplace. Specifically, the Act requires a covered employer to provide an employee who […]

HR lessons in San Diego mayor’s sexual harassment debacle

by Mark I. Schickman In the movie Anchorman, Ron Burgundy is a toothy, handsome news anchor who leads a San Diego news station that is simply too sexist to believe. It seemed cartoonish—until now, when we meet San Diego’s toothy, handsome mayor who allegedly is a more out-of-control sexist than Ron Burgundy on his worst […]

Skeevy TV raises harassment threshold for sitcom writers

Law school will ruin your life in so many ways. I used to watch television in a state of blissful ignorance. Holes in the plot? Didn’t notice. Inconsistent character behavior week to week? Didn’t care. Offensive, sexually charged dialogue? Didn’t mind at all. Then I became a lawyer, and now my clients are employers who […]

Silence as acceptance when company sold

By Keri Bennett Canadian employees may believe that a change in ownership of a company results in a change in the terms of employment and requirement for a new employment contract. Not so. In Whittemore v. Open Text Corporation, the Ontario Superior Court made it clear that the original terms of employment remained valid after […]

How to write a strong termination letter

by Bradley T. Cave Writing a termination letter can be a daunting task, knowing that much can rise or fall on what the letter says. A few straightforward strategies can help you prepare a termination letter that manages the risks that accompany all termination decisions. What to leave in, what to leave out Obviously, a […]

Employers: Be prepared for an EEOC lawsuit

by Kevin J. Skelly Employers sued by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) often face more challenging demands for discovery and settlement agreements than companies facing lawsuits filed by individual employees. Let’s look at what you can expect if the EEOC comes knocking at your door. How an EEOC investigation works Employers are often all […]

NFL player’s racist comment sparks debate

by John Phillips Here we go again. First, cooking queen Paula Deen. Now, NFL player Riley Cooper. The two situations are different, but both involve use of the N-word. For Deen, the question was whether, at some point in the past, her use of the N-word and her consideration of having black employees dress up […]

Employees’ smartphones as potential sources of evidence

By Antoine Aylwin and Edith Charbonneau Your employee quits his job and returns his smartphone. It contains information that shows he was scheming against you. What can you do with this? Could you use the e-mails found in the smartphone as evidence? This question was recently ruled upon by the Quebec Superior Court in Les […]

Handle with care: Even nonunion strikers can present risk

Low-wage workers in cities across the country carried signs and voiced demands for higher pay last week, but those strikes and similar work stoppages last May differ from traditional walkouts. Unlike in most strikes, the picketers aren’t part of a union although they are getting encouragement from organized labor, especially from the Service Employees International […]