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Religion in the Workplace: A Delicate Balance

By Keith Moorman With the steady flow of news putting religious issues in the spotlight, it’s a good time to review the requirements regarding religion in the workplace. Religion and Private Employers Although the U.S. Constitution prohibits governments from interfering with the free exercise of religion, it doesn’t dictate how a private employer must deal […]

Political Discrimination: The Elephant in the Room?

By Jeremy M. Brenner The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibits a state employer such as a university from discriminating against applicants and current employees based on their political beliefs or affiliations except in very limited instances. If an applicant or employee can demonstrate that her political views or associations caused a state employer […]

Alleged Harasser Sidelined during Arbitration

By Frederic Parisien Workplace harassment, at the onset, involves two players — the harasser and the harassee. A third party is added once a complaint is filed — the employer. And a fourth player, the union, is added if that complaint is a grievance. To what extent does the alleged harasser continue to be a […]

Hate Crimes Reported Nationwide Remain Steady

According to the 2010 Hate Crime Statistics report released by the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program late in 2011 the number of hate crimes reported nationwide in 2010 remained fairly steady from the previous year. Participating local law enforcement agencies reported a total of 6,628 incidents — up just slightly from the 6,604 incidents reported […]

Pay-for-Performance? The Three Key Questions

Is pay-for-performance the right compensation philosophy for your company? For some companies, emphatically yes, says expert Brooke Green; however, there are three key question to answer before considering it. Green, who is a principal at consultant Hay Group, offered her tips at a recent webinar sponsored by HRHero/BLR. What Pay-for-Performance Is (And Isn’t) First, says […]

Ooh, Ooh, She’s Magic

Litigation Value: Not much from this episode, but if Nellie sticks around her apparent prejudice against the Irish and Hispanics could lead to some sticky legal situations. Another week, another party in Scranton. Last night on The Office, Robert had the party-planning committee working hard on a party to welcome Nellie into the fold. Problem […]

401(k)s, Free Food, Pet Insurance—What Benefits Are Best Employers Offering?

Health Care gets the bulk of the benefits attention these days, but what’s happening with other benefits, and what are your competitors offering? Sabbaticals? Free Food? PTO? Flex? Let’s find out what’s happening in the real world. For years, BLR has surveyed HR, compensation, and benefits professionals to find trends in benefits. We appreciate your […]

California Supreme Court Issues Meal and Rest Break Ruling

By Mark I. Schickman California employers have been waiting since October 2008 for the California Supreme Court to issue its ruling in the Brinker Restaurant case, clarifying whether employers must “ensure” that employees take meal and rest breaks or simply “provide” those breaks. Today, the court unanimously served up a major victory to California employers […]

EEOC on the Lookout: Ensure Your Attendance Policies Are Legal

By Kelley E. Kaufman, Esq. These days, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is on the lookout for both inflexible leave of absence policies and no-fault attendance policies. While few employers welcome news of a targeted enforcement initiative, the best defense is a good offense. According to the EEOC, the Americans With Disabilities Act requires […]