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Special from Atlanta—SHRM Annual Conference and Exhibition In yesterday’s Advisor, attorney James McDonald explained the legal pitfalls of one kind of lookism—“You’re too unattractive to work here.” Today, he tackles the opposite—“You’re too attractive to work here”—plus we introduce the HR policy guru, SmartPolicies. The Other Side of Lookism: I’m Too Sexy McDonald, who is […]
In worst-case scenarios, stumbling blocks become legal hurdles too great for your human resources department to overcome. What starts as an innocent mistake, lack of knowledge or sin of policy omission becomes a genuine issue of material fact and it lands your company in court. In the case of Lichtenstein v. University of Pittsburgh Medical […]
Q. Are there any regulations on how often you must have safety meetings? A. Federal OSHA has no regulation that states how often you must have safety meetings. There are regulations that mandate training on a schedule such as Bloodborne Pathogens (29 CFR 1910.1030) training, which is required annually. Other general industry standards that require […]
In a BusinessWeek article, Bruce Weinstein, PhD., who calls himself “The Ethics Guy,” says that most political issues are by their nature highly divisive. At stake in this year’s presidential election, he adds, are such questions as these, all guaranteed to have the potential for controversy: Should abortion continue to be legal? Should same-sex marriage […]
by Kyle C. Foust Many employers institute policies prohibiting off-duty employees from accessing their facilities. If you are one of those employers, you should ensure that the language of your policy complies with the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). Specifically, the policy must not violate Section (8)(a)(1) of the NLRA. The National Labor Relations Board […]
Special from Atlanta—SHRM Annual Conference and Exhibition People can’t admit to their own performance failures, says attorney James McDonald, so when they are fired, they wonder, What could it have been? And they come up with: “I must have been discriminated against based on my looks!” McDonald, who is a partner in the Irvine, California office […]
by Jonathan C. Sterling As of October 1, Connecticut employers need to make sure they’re in compliance with the state’s new medical marijuana law. Under the law, employers of one or more employees are prohibited from refusing to hire, discharging, penalizing, or threatening an employee solely on the basis of his status as a “qualifying […]
Without question, a job counter offer can be a useful tool if the situation fits. Under the right circumstances it might save a key employee from leaving—at least temporarily. However, in most cases they may create more problems than they solve, so employers should take care in assessing whether a job counter offer is truly […]
Special from Atlanta–SHRM Annual Conference and Exhibition In yesterday’s Advisor, attorney Dana Cotham offered suggestions for avoiding retaliation claims—the most common type of claim. Today, the red flags that signal potential problems, plus an introduction to the new, comprehensive training solution—TrainingToday. Here are Cotham’s “Red Flags for Retaliation.” The actions listed below are those that […]
The increasing need for employees to care for an older relative or friend should prompt an expansion of federal legal protections against workplace discrimination, according to a recent report by the AARP Public Policy Institute. In what the AARP report authors dub as the “new normal,” Protecting Family Caregivers from Employment Discrimination says discrimination in […]