Tag: Employment law

Who Wanted to Be a Millionaire?

Litigation Value: From Dunder Mifflin’s corporate perspective, likely $0, though it might find itself having to defend claims that it should be liable for Michael’s tuition promise. Michael on the other hand . . . but you can’t get blood from a turnip, right? Just how long has Michael Scott been wreaking havoc on the […]

Federally Regulated Employees Required to Cross Another Union’s Picket Line

By Ida Martin Imagine there is a group of federal government employees that are engaging in a lawful strike. Because of the physical location of your workplace, your employees can’t get to work without crossing the picket line. Your workers are unionized and have decided they won’t cross the picket line of the striking federal […]

Taking a Twirl on the Big Stage

Litigation Value: $0. For the second week running, our favorite paper company largely avoided any obvious liability on the employment law front. In fact, Dunder Mifflin may have a (nominal) claim of its own against Michael Scott and his road-tripping entourage, based on their unauthorized limousine frolic. If this were a securities or bankruptcy law […]

Dogs at Work – A Practical Guide to Creating Dog-Friendly Workplaces

Employment law attorney Hillary J. Collyer reviews Dogs at Work -– A Practical Guide to Creating Dog-Friendly Workplaces, written by Liz Palika and Jennifer Fearing and published by the Humane Society. The Humane Society of the United States has published a great resource for employers that either allow pets in the workplace or are considering […]

Significant Pension Changes Coming

By William Duvall After years of consultations, the Canadian government has announced significant changes to the legal framework for federally regulated pension plans. In addition, proposed changes to the Income Tax Act would affect all defined benefit plans whether regulated federally or provincially. While we can’t cover all the contemplated changes in this article, we […]

Happy Birthday, Jesus

Employment law attorney Justin Pierce tackles the tough question of whether an employer should allow an employee to hang a “Happy Birthday, Jesus” sign in his office. Q Last year at Christmas, one of our employees, we’ll call him “Bob,” put up a small sign in his office that read “Happy Birthday, Jesus.” A non- […]

Bullies in the Workplace, Not Just the Playground

Sixteen states have proposed legislation introduced under the title “The Healthy Workplace Bill.”  In 2009, 12 states’ legislatures considered bullying bills but none passed them. The legislation is intended to stop workplace bullying but hasn’t yet been made law in any state. Keep up with the latest changes in state employment laws with the monthly […]

Is Workplace Violence on the Rise?

by Nancy Germond What do the current economic environment and workplace violence have in common? Is there a correlation between the two? The economic downturn has certainly caused a lot of devastation, with many individuals losing their jobs, homes, and savings. Even employees who were lucky to survive their company’s layoffs still face workforce challenges […]

USERRA: Do the Right Thing for the Right Reasons for Employees in the Military

As we celebrate Veterans Days this week and honor the men and women who have served the United States in military service, it’s a good time for employers to recognize their employees who are citizen-soldiers and are beginning to come home — as well as other employees who continue to join reserve units or the […]