Tag: Employment law

What Can HR Do About Workplace Gossip?

Let’s face it. We’re living in a society that’s fascinated, if not obsessed, with the private lives of other people. As much as you may want to deny it, you know you’ve looked at the National Enquirer more than once — even if it was just while you were waiting in the grocery store checkout […]

Managing the Millennials: Part 1

by Stephen J. Stine A new generation of technologically savvy, idealistic, and independent-minded young people is entering today’s workforce. Born between 1980 and 2000, this generation, the children of the baby boomers, is collectively known as the “Millennials” or “Generation Y.” They’re sociable, optimistic, well-educated, collaborative, open-minded, and achievement-oriented. Which management styles and strategies should […]

Ripped From The Headlines

Well, apparently Michael Scott has moved to Boston and obtained a medical degree.  Last week, the Boston Globe reported that a neurosurgeon at Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital was suing for gender discrimination. Her evidence?  The antics of her boss, the chief of neurosurgery, who keeps an 8 inch sculpture of a penis and a […]

Workplace Lessons from the Campaign Trail

by Margaret DiBianca Politics isn’t a career for the thin-skinned. “Getting the goods” on one’s opponent often seems like a strategic tactic. Candidates who engage in that “strategy” look for harmful information, and then, when the time is right, maybe at a rally or mid-debate, the goods are slung like mud in the general direction […]

Penalties Increase for Certain Immigration Violations

Employers, beware: You will soon face increased monetary penalties if you violate certain immigration laws. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the U.S. Attorney General have issued a rule that adjusts for inflation the civil monetary penalties they assess or enforce under the Immigration and Nationality Act. This is the first increase in the […]

Resolving Conflicts at Work: A Complete Guide for Everyone on the Job

Employment law attorney Michael Maslanka reviews the book Resolving  Conflicts at Work: A Complete Guide for Everyone on the Job by Kenneth Cloke and Joan Goldsmith. Review calls book insightful for tips on resolving conflict at work with communication, conversation, and listening. One of your greatest challenges is resolving workplace conflicts. While one goal is […]

Appealing Employment Tribunal Decisions May Be Easier

McCarthy Tetrault A recent decision by the Supreme Court of Canada may make it easier for employees and employers to appeal decisions of administrative agencies to the courts. In Canada, and from an HR perspective, such agencies include labor boards, labor arbitrators, human rights tribunals, pay equity tribunals, and employment standards adjudicators. Imagine an employee […]

Preventing Unauthorized Overtime by Employees Working From Home

In a society that’s increasingly dependent on technology, it’s important to consider some of the problems that could arise for technologically savvy employees who are allowed to work from home. Some employees who work away from the office by using devices like laptop computers, BlackBerries®, iPhones®, cell phones, and pagers will claim they worked overtime […]

Pets in the Office

(Updated April 15, 2009) by Hillary J. Collyer With all the recent press about America’s new first dog, Bo Obama, we thought it would be timely to address the issue of pets in the workplace — after all, the White House isn’t just the country’s most famous residence, it’s also a workplace. According to the […]