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Amendments to FEHA—What Employers Need to Know

By Joan Farrell, JD, Senior Legal Editor New amendments have recently been approved to California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) regulations, and employers must take notice and act accordingly. BLR® Senior Legal Editor Joan Farrell, JD, has the necessary information to bring you up to speed.

Handle or Hand Off–Supervisor’s Critical Decision

The moment when the supervisor decides whether to act or to call HR often has far-reaching consequences, says attorney Mark Schickman. Unfortunately, he often gets involved too late to prevent an expensive outcome. Even the organizations with the most rules and regulations get into trouble, Schickman says, pointing to recent headlines about sexual assault problems […]

Examine winter-weather policy before hazardous conditions strike

Although the calendar shows winter is still a month away, employers would be wise to think now about how they’ll handle the challenges hazardous winter weather will bring. When snow, ice, or other extreme weather shows up in the forecast, employers’ thoughts turn to how weather might prevent employees from getting to work and how […]

HRDA Frankly Speaking: Are You Automating Away Your Team’s “Quick Wins”?

Many HR leaders are rushing to use AI to automate routine, repetitive tasks. The goal seems obvious: clear out the busy work so employees can focus entirely on high-value, complex projects. But Kevin Bishop, Director of Talent Development at LinkedIn, warns that this approach might accidentally be driving your team straight toward burnout. In a […]

Office politics: preventing disruptive discourse

by David L. Johnson Recently, a Pennsylvania YMCA stopped showing cable news shows on the TVs in its gym because they were prompting political squabbles among its members. When filtered into the diverse workplace, passionate opposing political viewpoints can harm productivity and morale and even create liability issues for employers. Sometimes political discussions can morph […]

Onionheads everywhere rejoice as NY federal court protects their ‘religion’ under Title VII

by Brent E. Siler The title of this article isn’t a typo or a joke. It’s a literal statement of holding in a recent federal case before the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, which found that an employer’s conflict-resolution program, which its creator dubbed “Onionhead” or “Harnessing Happiness,” was in […]

Wearables for Worker Wellness

by Danna Korn Many companies are turning to wellness programs to boost employee engagement, and wearable technology is helping the initiative. For more information on wearables, we present an article by Danna Korn, cofounder and CEO (Chief Energizing Officer) of Sonic Boom Wellness, a software company specializing in fun, innovative corporate wellness programs that improve […]

Outback Steakhouse to Pay $65K for Firing Disabled Server

Outback Steakhouse will pay $65,000 to a server it fired because of his traumatic brain injury, according to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The payment will settle a lawsuit EEOC filed on the server’s behalf. The commission alleged that John Woods was fired after a new manager took over an Outback restaurant in Phoenix. Woods worked […]