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NLRB Narrows Permissible Terms in Severance Agreements

A recent National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) ruling determined that including certain nondisparagement and confidentiality provisions in severance agreements violates the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). Facts McLaren Macomb Hospital permanently furloughed 11 employees and contemporaneously presented them each with a “Severance Agreement, Waiver and Release.” The agreement contained provisions that broadly prohibited them from […]

Best of Learning & Development 2023

At the end of the day, employees are a company’s biggest asset. Learning & Development initiatives are just one of many ways to help bring out your workers’ potential. LinkedIn found that 83% of organizations want to build a people-first culture, and 81% of L&D departments are helping to make that happen. As we near […]

Data Illustrates Extent of Time Spent on Communication Apps

An office cliché from the pre-COVID years is the concept of “watercooler talk,” the idea that employees gather informally around the office in places like the watercooler, coffee machine, or breakroom and make small talk, exchange gossip, or just socialize. With the widespread shift to remote work in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, you […]

Navigating Workplace Conflict During the Holidays (and Beyond)

The holiday season is supposed to be full of joy and happiness, and yet it is sometimes the most stressful time of the year, especially at work.  Why?  Around the holidays, there are a lot of stressors, including end of year budgeting and the closing of the books, packing a month’s worth of work into […]

3 New Training Tips for Using New Technologies in the New Year

  The technology website Geek Wire published advice from ergonomics writer Larry Swanson, author of Scared Sitless, the Office Fitness Book. In the past few years, tablets and smartphones have made huge inroads in workplaces of all types. According to Swanson, the compact size and portability of the devices make work and life better in […]

Michael and Holly, Sitting in a Tree

Litigation Value: A narrow escape from Michael burning the office down (twice) and, as always, plenty of lost productivity while the employees held a garage sale, played “Dallas” and helped Michael propose to Holly. Since last night’s “Office” was another rerun, I thought I would take this opportunity to talk about the “Garage Sale” episode. […]

Forming a Successful Active Threat Plan

We’ve all seen the news. Random acts of violence, including those in the workplace, are on everyone’s radar. Today we’ll hear from security expert Jay Hart about what your company can do to begin thinking about avoiding and, more importantly, dealing with an active threat at the workplace. By Jay Hart Hart, director of Force […]

Exempt to Nonexempt—7 Steps for Communicating the Transition

In yesterday’s Advisor, BLR® Legal Editor Susan Prince, JD, MSL, outlined some common concerns employees may have when they are transitioned from exempt to nonexempt in the wake of new overtime regulations. Today, Prince provides seven steps for effectively communicating this transition to employees.