Tag: news

Minnesota 12th state to recognize same-sex marriage

by Michael G. McNally The Minnesota Marriage Equality Bill, HF 1054, was signed into law by Governor Mark Dayton on May 14, 2013. Effective August 1, 2013, Minnesota will allow individuals of the same sex to marry. Employers need to review their policies relating to employee health and retirement benefits to reflect this change. What […]

More Companies Are Investing in Social Learning

Bersin by Deloitte’s The Corporate Learning Factbook® 2013: Benchmarks, Trends, and Analysis of the U.S. Training Market (www.bersin.com/clf-us) found that “spending and resource allocations differ markedly, depending on the L&D organization’s focus and effectiveness.” In 2012, mature U.S. companies spent 34 percent more than companies at the lowest maturity level—with an average expenditure of $867 […]

Fast-food worker strikes, ‘alt-labor’ movement spreading

A wave of strikes by fast-food and other low-wage workers continues to spread in major cities around the country as employees take action to increase their pay and gain other workplace rights and benefits. Strikes have taken place in New York City, Chicago, St. Louis, Detroit, and Milwaukee as the movement appears to be gaining […]

New Oklahoma law confirms enforceability of nonsolicitation agreements

Although noncompetition agreements remain unenforceable under state law, a new law confirms that Oklahoma employers may enforce agreements prohibiting former employees from soliciting a company’s employees to leave their jobs to work for another employer. For some time, Oklahoma employers have been able to contractually prohibit former employees from soliciting workers for a reasonable period […]

Vermont governor to sign equal pay bill into law on Tuesday

by Sophie E. Zdatny House Bill 99, titled “an act relating to equal pay,” has cleared both chambers of the Vermont Legislature and is set to be signed into law by Governor Peter Shumlin on Tuesday, May 14. The final bill amends Vermont’s Fair Employment Practices Act to provide that an employer may pay different […]

Report Concludes Training Should Not Be Viewed as Onetime Event

“Learning is a way of life in organizations,” says Eduardo Salas, a psychological scientist from the University of Central Florida. “Everyone gets training. But what matters? What works? What influences learning and skill acquisition?” Salas and his coauthors of a new report published in Psychological Science in the Public Interest, a journal of the Association […]

Business groups applaud ruling against NLRB poster

Probusiness groups are cheering a new ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit that represents another blow to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). The appeals court, which issued another ruling against the NLRB in January, ruled on May 7 that the Board exceeded its authority in its effort […]

Employees Are Not Getting Enough Training on Mobile Devices and Cloud Technologies

A new infographic from the International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP) shows that while more companies are using mobile devices and Cloud apps, approximately 6 million office professionals in North America alone get 10 or fewer hours of training every year provided by their employers. About half those office professionals are completely responsible for their […]

Utah social media password law takes effect May 14

by Darryl J. Lee Utah’s Internet Employment Privacy Act (IEPA) goes into effect May 14, making Utah the latest state to prohibit employers from requiring employees or job applicants to disclose their passwords or user names for personal social media accounts. Similar legislation has been enacted in California, Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, and New Jersey. […]