Tag: Employment law

After-hours e-mail: Boost to productivity or trigger for burnout?

Finding the right balance between work and personal time can be tough, but it’s especially challenging when the e-mail from the office never stops. Even when the volume of off-hours messages isn’t enough to be a serious time drain, it still interrupts personal time. So can just the nagging thought that an e-mail from the […]

No more pizza party rewards for safe work

by Eric J. Conn The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) new e-record-keeping rule, formally titled “Improve Tracking of Workplace Injuries and Illnesses,” has created quite a stir for employers. The rule requires employers to electronically submit their injury and illness data, which the agency will then publish online for all the world to dissect. […]

Going down the class-action Tran-Canada Highway

by Kyla Stott-Jess and Mitchell Barnard The phrase “class action lawsuit” can strike fear in the executive ranks of any large company. The development of class action law in in the employment context has been slower north of the 49th parallel than in the United States. Recently, though, a line of cases has been paving […]

Uber

Sharing is caring: Are Uber, Lyft drivers independent contractors?

by Ryan B. Frazier Whether workers are properly classified as employees or independent contractors has been an increasingly hot topic in discussions about the American labor market. Independent contractors are deemed to own their own business, making them responsible for covering most of their own business expenses, taxes, and costs. Worker classification is governed by […]

Solid job descriptions vital when dealing with hidden disabilities

Today’s employers are usually well aware of their responsibility to protect employees from unlawful discrimination based on disability. But what about the disabilities that are unseen and often misunderstood? How can the employer do right by the employee and still keep the work on track? Those questions don’t have easy answers, but focusing on time-honored […]

Hurricane

Hurricane season brings unique employer issues

In the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew, evacuation orders are lifting and recovery efforts are in their early stages. Employers are facing a number of storm-related issues as they prepare to resume normal operations. Here are just a few of the questions employers are asking.  1.  Does the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) require me to pay […]

Medical assessment gives reasonable grounds for employee surveillance

by Mikaël Maher Surveillance may be an effective way for an employer to confirm or dispel their doubts about the legitimacy of a disability claim. But when is it legally permissible in Canada? In the recent decision Centre de santé et de services sociaux de la Vallée de la Gatineau v. Martin [1], the Quebec […]

Federal government slowly redefining joint-employer doctrine

In recent years, business relationships have increased in complexity. So, among all the independent contractors, franchises, joint ventures, and internships, just who is an employee? And which company—or companies—is the employer? Federal and state regulators are taking a new look at those questions and responding with new interpretations and new regulations. The federal government, in […]

Why your employee engagement efforts don’t work

by Brad Federman Bersin & Associates noted in 2012 that in the United States alone, we spend more than $720 million annually on improving employee engagement. According to sources such as the Center for Creative Leadership, PerformancePoint, Kenexa, and Gallup, between 58% and 90% of employees do not trust management, between 14% and 58% believe […]