Most Popular

More Mental Health Guidance from the EEOC

By Joan Farrell, JD In yesterday’s Advisor, BLR® Senior Legal Editor Joan Farrell, JD, explained some of the new guidance on mental health conditions released by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Today, Farrell has additional details on the matter.

Women in Business: Fighting to Get to the Top

There are 74.6 million women in the civilian labor force – almost 47 percent of U.S. workers are women. When it comes to education, women are more likely than men to have earned a bachelor’s degree by age 29 (34 percent of women vs. 29 percent of men). Women also own close to 10 million […]

Expert Explains Five Issues Raised by IRS’ Guidance on Lifetime Annuity Contracts

In this post, we reported on new IRS proposed rules on purchasing qualified lifetime annuity contracts (QLACs) under certain retirement plans. Recently in his blog, an industry expert provided more details on the guidance’s significance. In his blog the Business of Benefits, Attorney Robert Toth Jr., explains how: With just a relatively short regulation and […]

HRDA Frankly Speaking: DEI’s Core Truth—Neutralizing the Playing Field

In conversations surrounding Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), backlash and misconceptions often cloud the true intent. Yet, at its heart, DEI isn’t about special treatment; it’s about unlocking potential for everyone. As a leader deeply committed to embedding empathy and emotional intelligence into every aspect of operations, Kyla Hanaway-Quinlan, Chief Operating Officer and Head of People at […]

How Good Employee Documentation Helps You Achieve Your Objectives

Employee documentation can be HR’s secret weapon. It can be used as part of a defense strategy should you ever be faced with a discrimination or retaliation lawsuit, for example. Any labor and employment attorney will tell you that one of the keys to being able to defend—or even prevent—litigation rests in sound HR documentation […]

Supervisor’s Instagram Triggers Hostile Work Environment Lawsuit

Once upon a time, the employee’s workplace was entirely separate from their private life. No more. The two now bleed together, resulting in legal trouble for employers. Male Manager Targets a Female Colleague Lindsay Okonowsky worked as the sole staff psychologist at a federal prison on the West Coast. Lieutenant Steven Hellman supervised the prison […]

Investigating Substance Abuse the Right Way

Yesterday’s Advisor discussed the problem of substance abuse in the workplace as well as the laws regarding this issue. Today we’re covering how to investigate suspected abuse—and what to do if such abuse is discovered.

No Smoking! Ever. Can You Ban smoking—Even Off Duty?

Employers are increasingly concerned about the health of their workforces for many good reasons. One is that poor health costs them money, says attorney Antoinette Pilzner. There are substantial expenses related directly to health care, and additional costs from indirect issues, such as absenteeism, presenteeism, workers’ compensation, and productivity. A big part of the problem […]

Readers Strongly Reject ‘No iPods at Work’ Rule

By BLR Founder and CEO Bob Brady Two weeks ago, BLR’s founder and CEO Bob Brady, waxed eloquent in this space over the many good things about his iPod®, but also expressed his e-pinion that “serious” workers don’t have talk radio and music on while they work. Most readers disagreed. I never cease to be […]