Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
Soon, it will be legal in Vermont for people who are 21 or older to possess limited quantities of marijuana and marijuana plants. You may be wondering whether the new law affects your ability to enforce rules on smoking or the use of drugs in your workplace.
An employee was netted in a sex sting after he arranged for an escort while he was off duty. Instead of finding love, he found himself suspended from his job—and eventually terminated. Was the employee entitled to unemployment benefits?
In 2-1 decision by a three-judge panel, the U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals—which covers Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia—reversed a decision to grant summary judgment in favor of a governmental entity. The appeals court sent the case back to the trial court for further proceedings based on the majority’s assessment of the application of the Equal Pay Act (EPA) to wages being paid by a state agency.
You may remember that Jonathan Martin, a former starting offensive tackle for the Miami Dolphins, suddenly left the team during the 2013 season. He was a second-round draft pick in 2012 who played college football at Stanford. In college, he was twice selected as an All-American offensive lineman. During the 2012 season, he played at […]
A semiconductor company hired a 33-year-old accounting manager not long before it terminated its 59-year-old financial administrator as part of a reduction in force (RIF). The administrator sued, claiming unlawful age discrimination. The trial court granted the company’s motion for summary judgment (dismissal without a trial). In an unpublished opinion, the court of appeal affirmed.
In a move as tone-deaf as some of the singers vying to compete on American Idol, pop princess Katy Perry cajoled a kiss from 19-year-old contestant Benjamin Glaze without his permission. Perry, who serves as one of the three judges on the newly re-booted reality program, wields the power to move contestants on to the […]
The following case is a cautionary tale about decisive action and one type of legal risk: defamation claims. Although this particular case turned on a legal technicality, it’s useful to show how communicating about your reasons for taking an adverse action can turn into litigation.
Massachusetts employers will face new obligations regarding pregnant women and new mothers when the state’s new Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) takes effect on April 1.
Employers will begin filing petitions for H-1B visas on April 2, and immigration attorneys expect U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to quickly reach the 85,000-visa cap.
The Iowa Court of Appeals recently found that an employee who made violent threats on Facebook couldn’t sue her former employer for retaliation after she was terminated. The court’s decision is important because it allows employers to make termination decisions when a protected complaint is pending. In other words, not all opposition is protected.