Author: Bob Brady

Will Obama Really Push Pro-Union Legislation?

By BLR Founder and CEO Bob Brady BLR founder and CEO Bob Brady ponders the probable passage of the Employee Free Choice Act and the impact it will have on readers, and he suggests one step all organizations can take today. When candidate Obama was looking for votes, he praised the Employee Free Choice Act, […]

Wage & Hour Audits—You or the Feds?

Yesterday’s Advisor answered some quirky questions on overtime. Here are several more, plus an introduction to a wage and hour audit system that will help you spot problems before the feds do. Do we have to pay employees who clock in early?Is it legal for us to refuse to pay hourly employees straight time or […]

Quirky Overtime Questions You Probably Should Be Asking

Wage and hour ought to be simple, but our customers keep coming up with new twists. How many of these questions cover situations you face in your organization? Do I have to pay overtime on paid lunch breaks?Our workweek is 35 hours, plus we pay lunch breaks of 1 hour each day, totaling 40 hours […]

“Family Responsibility Discrimination”–A New Frontier?

If you’re not yet familiar with the term “family responsibility discrimination” (FRD), get ready—chances are, you’ll be hearing it a lot in the future. Although related to both sex and pregnancy discrimination, the term encompasses the broader idea that employers are biased against new parents/primary family care providers.

We’re Sued—What to Do, How to Avoid It

In yesterday’s Advisor, we offered tips from attorney Stephen Harris on what to do when threatened with legal action. Today, we’ll look at Harris’s steps after initial fact-finding, plus an introduction to a unique tool to help with all your policy-making needs. Harris, of the law firm Wiggin & Dana in Hartford, Connecticut, delivered his […]

Steps to Take When Legal Actions Threaten

As soon as you sense that action is being taken against your organization by an employee or former employee, it’s time to swing into action, says attorney Stephen Harris. When you delay, you increase risk. Harris, of the law firm Wiggin & Dana in Hartford, Connecticut, delivered his suggestions at a Society for Human Resource […]

Readers Say Lilly Ledbetter Law Will Not Affect Their Workplaces

By BLR Founder and CEO Bob Brady BLR founder and CEO Bob Brady reports on responses to his recent survey on the impact of the new Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. The surprising majority view? “I’m OK– you’re a mess.” In late January, as one of his first acts as president, Barack Obama signed the […]

New Stimulus Package Contains Employment-Related Provisions

On Tuesday, President Obama signed the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Obama called the package the “first part” of a larger strategy to help give the nation’s economy a boost. While some of the finer details are still being worked out, the package does include benefits that employers and employees alike […]

Final Warnings—Be Careful or They’ll Backfire

In yesterday’s Advisor, attorney Jonathan Segal offered cogent tips on documenting discipline. Today we’ll review his tips on final warnings and accommodations, plus a new training program for your supervisors and managers. Segal is a partner with the Wolf Block law firm in Philadelphia. His tips appeared in our sister publication HR Manager’s Legal Reporter. […]

Poor Documentation Dooms Employers’ Defense

Failure to carefully document discipline remains one of the biggest legal problems that employers face, says attorney Jonathan Segal. Lawsuits that should never have been brought appear on your desk, and lawsuits that should have been dismissed become hard to fight. Segal is a partner with the Wolf Block law firm in Philadelphia. His tips […]