Tag: Employment law

Payroll Deductions That Don’t Affect Employees’ Exempt Status

by Gary Fealk Workers who qualify as executive, administrative, or professional employees may be exempt from the overtime requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) if they are paid on a salaried basis or not less than $455 per week. However, if an employee’s basis of compensation isn’t “salaried,” the exemption will be lost. […]

EEO-1 Reporting: What Employers Need to Know

The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) require certain employers to report their workforce demographics each year. The report, commonly referred to as an EEO-1 report, must typically be filed between August 1 and September 30. This article provides an overview of the reporting requirements and updates […]

Yes! 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to be Persuasive

Employment law attorney Michael Maslanka reviews the book Yes!  50 Scientifically Proven Ways to be Persuasive by Noah J. Goldstein, Steve J. Martin, and Robert B. Cialdini. Review includes lessons from the book about how to be persuasive. Yes!: 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive a so-so title for Noah J. Goldstein, Steve J. […]

Provincial labor force differences across Canada

by Brian P. Smeenk Canada is a diverse country. Its ten provinces and three territories are endowed with varying natural resources and have developed their own industrial infrastructures and labour markets. Nevertheless, education is always a major factor in the ability to find a job. So commences a very interesting, recently published study by Statistics […]

Wal-Mart gets its first union contract

by Brian P. Smeenk Wal-Mart, which has until now apparently been union-free, has had a union contract imposed on it in Quebec. The contract covers an auto center, Tire & Lube Express, which is part of a store in Gatineau, near the Ontario border. The small group of about eight employees apparently received union certification […]

Perils of Sending Political Emails at Work

by David Micah Kaufman “Oh my!” my lunch colleague exclaimed after glancing at her Blackberry (R) during a break in the conversation. “I am being invited to Candidate X’s fundraiser by my boss. Why does she think I support him/her?” ‘Tis the season — election season — when perfectly normal people who usually would never […]

The Right Interview Questions

We’re in the middle of election season and the race for the White House. When you’re deciding between McCain and Obama, perhaps it would help if you treated the election like what it really is: a job interview. Sometimes the questions the candidates are asked are ridiculous (boxers or briefs), and sometimes the answers the […]

It’s Our Ship: The No Nonsense Guide to Leadership

Employment law attorney Michael Maslanka reviews the book It’s Our Ship: The No Nonsense Guide to Leadership by Captain D. Michael Abrashoff.  Standard book on how to manage transforms to inspiration for HR to fight corporate bureaucracy. The title of It’s Our Ship: The No-Nonsense Guide to Leadership, another in the series by Captain D. […]

New human rights regime now in force in Ontario

by Brian Smeenk On June 30, 2008, new human rights legislation in Ontario came into force. The new regime radically changes the way in which human rights complaints are dealt with in Ontario. Employers, employees, and unions are watching closely to see how well the new system works. 1. Complainants given direct access to tribunal […]

Same-Sex Marriage Rulings May Affect Employers in Other States

(Update May 26, 2009 – California Supreme Court rules that same-sex marriage ban — Proposition 8 — passed by voters in November 2008 is legal but 18,000 same-sex marriages performed before the ban was approved are valid.) A recent decision by the California Supreme Court on same-sex marriage may have implications for employers in other […]