Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
GINA is, of course, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act, says attorney Peter Lowe, and you do care about GINA and Facebook, because Facebook pages are likely to reveal prohibited genetic information. What is GINA: The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act prohibits employers from collecting genetic information or discriminating based on genetic information. Genetic information includes information […]
Is that right? You can’t prohibit employees from saying bad things online, yet you also can’t allow them to say good things? To some extent, that’s true, says attorney Peter Lowe. Lowe, who is a partner at Brann & Isaacson in Lewiston, Maine, offered his tips at the BLR’s Advanced Employment Issues Symposium, held recently […]
Top brass may have the last word when it comes to adverse actions. But even comments made by lower-level managers — including those in human resources — may be used to support the kind of discrimination claim that often follows in the highly emotional climate following a layoff. A recent appeals court ruling in a […]
Clever unionizing tactics such as changing independent contractors to employees and presenting employers with package deals are part of the new labor landscape, says attorney David Fortney. Fortney is a co-founder of law firm Fortney & Scott, LLC in Washington, DC, and is editor of Federal Employment Law Insider. He made his remarks about new […]
Some managers want the productivity losses from social media activity at work to be a tricky “social media” issue, but it’s not, says attorney Molly DiBianca. “It’s a simple management issue, just like somebody taking too many cigarette breaks. The supervisor or manager has to enforce rules and impose discipline if necessary.” DiBianca, who is […]
Social media. It’s affecting—or is that infecting—a lot of HR’s territory from recruiting to productivity to community. In today’s Advisor, attorney Margaret (Molly) DiBianca sorts out the key elements for your social media policy. DiBianca, who is with Young, Conaway Stargatt & Taylor LLP in Wilmington, Delaware, offered her tips at the BLR’s Advanced Employment […]
California lawmakers stayed busy throughout the year, passing a number of new wage, hour, leave and anti-discrimination laws. Here, in no particular order, are some of the biggies that go into effect Jan. 1: Pregnancy Disability Leave All employers with five or more employees will be required, starting Jan. 1, to continue to maintain and […]
In yesterday’s Advisor, we found the first of the “15 tips in 15 minutes” from expert panelists at BLR’s Advanced Employment Issues Symposium. Today, more tips plus an introduction to a special product just for smaller or even one-person HR departments. The original talk was called 30 ideas in 30 minutes, but we’ve culled the […]
By Jeff Gilbreth and Gauri Patil As the holiday season ramps up, many of us will be spending time with family and friends, attending holiday parties and preparing for another new year. While this is certainly a fun and joyous time, we are here to remind employers that various wage and hour pitfalls are lurking […]
A much-appreciated session at BLR’s recent Advanced Employment Issues Symposium was a panel presentation during which panelists offered quick, real-world-tested ideas for attracting, engaging and retaining employees. The original talk was called “30 Ideas in 30 Minutes,” but we’ve culled the best fifteen ideas for our readers. The panelists were: Andrew Botwin, head of Human […]