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Should Canadian Employers Give Employment References?

By Tina Giesbrecht and Lana Jackson McCarthy Tetrault Employers often ask whether they should give employment references to employees and former employees. This decision can be a difficult one with possible negative consequences for either course of action. Whatever decision is made, it’s important to consistently apply one policy regarding reference letters. Q. What are […]

Court Approves $1M Settlement in COBRA Class Action Lawsuit

A federal district court gave preliminary approval to a $1 million settlement agreement that would resolve a class action lawsuit alleging that an employer/plan administrator, in farming out its employees to clients, violated COBRA’s initial and election notice rules, as well as its  premium subsidy rules. The settlement would consist of a $375,000 payout to […]

The Job

LITIGATION VALUE: $50,000 (with the potential for a whole lot more) So Creed has joined the millions of people blogging at (and about) work. I’d say that this could definitely cause trouble for Dunder Mifflin when Creed eventually learns how to post his musings on something more than a Microsoft Word document. Believe it or […]

Family And Medical Leave: Court Rules On When Workers Can Take Leave To Offer Psychological Care For Ailing Family Members

A new ruling from the federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals focuses on a little-known provision of the Family and Medical Leave Act that permits employees to take leave to provide psychological comfort and assistance to family members with serious physical or mental illnesses. We”ll explain the court’s ruling.

secret

Employment is short. Don’t have an affair.

Imagine a guy, a married guy, more specifically an unhappily married guy, and even more specifically an unhappily married guy lacking a moral compass. The guy creates a discrete (ha!) profile on AshleyMadison.com, a dating website for married people whose tagline is “Life is Short. Have an Affair.” No need to prowl hotel bars at […]

hiring

Employers Have Very Optimistic Hiring Plans for Q1 of 2018

The most recent edition of ManpowerGroup’s quarterly “Employment Outlook Survey” indicates that the first quarter of 2018 will be very strong in terms of staffing, reporting “the strongest hiring intentions in 10 years” according to a survey press release.

Ask the Expert: PUMP the ‘Breaks’ on Disciplining Nursing Mothers

Question: We have an employee who is currently breastfeeding and having issues with her performance. She’s reserving our mother’s room four times per workday for an hour each time. Is there a way to navigate this excessive use of the accommodation according to the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA)? We’re concerned about her ability to get […]

5 Key Strategies for Affordable Family-Forming Benefits

A convergence of several megatrends has cast a spotlight on employers’ need to be more strategic about recruitment and retention of top talent. One answer is through more robust and personalized benefit packages that are accessible and affordable. A tightening U.S. labor market continues to challenge HR departments and C-suites alike. Mounting frustration over pandemic […]

Prepare Now for Upcoming FLSA Exemption Changes

As most of us are well aware, there are some upcoming changes to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) that will have an impact on millions of employers nationwide. Namely, the Department of Labor (DOL) is updating the requirements for employees to qualify for the “white collar” overtime exemptions.