Most Popular

You Must Communicate Effectively About Compensation

Yesterday, we got some insights from Chuck Csizmar of CMC Compensation Group about the importance of having a formal compensation strategy document at your organization. Today, we’ll look at the rest of his “Top 8” list of design considerations, plus some final strategies for success.

There’s More to Ladder Safety Training Than Workers Might Think

Ladders are simple devices—and that may be their biggest fault. Workers tend to mistake simplicity for harmlessness, often overlooking necessary precautions. More precautions are necessary to stay safe on portable ladders than your employees might think. For example, even before setting up a ladder, the site has to be checked for safety. Say the site […]

8th Circuit Denies Relief for Female Employee Paid Less for Choosing to Do More

A female employee wasn’t discriminated against for receiving less compensation than her male coworkers when she voluntarily chose to complete tasks that weren’t required of her, according to the U.S. 8th Circuit Court of Appeals (whose rulings apply to all Nebraska employers), upholding a Nebraska federal district court decision. Facts Barbara Perry, a former employee […]

Tricks and treats and trial briefs

Remember NBC’s The Office? I think some lawyers used to blog about it. Anyhow, one of my favorite episodes was “Costume Contest” where the Scranton employees threw a Halloween party at the branch office. The costumes in the episode were mostly tame, ranging from Justin Bieber (Ryan) to Lady Gaga (Gabe). Late in the episode Angela […]

Have You Trained Your Managers in What Not to Say?

Woods is a shareholder in the Greenville, South Carolina office of law firm Ogletree Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, PC. His remarks came at BLR®’s annual National Employment Law Update. Seeking a Person ‘More Energetic’ than You The Story: Klockner Pentaplast of America (KPA) employed 58-year-old Dean Inman as its VP Technology. When Michael Tubridy, […]

Rental car company can’t drive off employee’s suit

by Brian J. Kurtz Is it technically race discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 if you terminate an Assyrian employee because you think he is an Arab? An Illinois district court recently faced that question.   Less than courteous Afram Boutros, an Assyrian of Lebanese descent, went to work for […]

Ask the Expert: Are There Exceptions to State Meal Break Requirements?

Question: Are there any exceptions to meal and rest break requirements, and are there meal penalties for not allowing staff to take proper breaks? Can we allow employees to waive their meal breaks if they work six hours instead of eight? Answer: This question is mainly controlled by state law. Federal law, for its part, […]

Coach or terminate? Developing a strategy for ‘difficult’ employees

What supervisor or human resources professional hasn’t asked the question: Why can’t people work together without deliberately making the working environment insufferable? Why don’t people use their energy to solve differences instead of lashing out in anger? There may be no easy answers to those questions, but understanding why conflict occurs and following a strategy […]

Emanuel nomination called chance to ‘rein in’ Obama-era NLRB

President Donald Trump’s latest pick for the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is another signal that a “reining in” of the panel is on the way, according to attorneys who keep a close watch on the Board. On June 27, the White House announced that William J. Emanuel, an attorney with the large management-side law […]

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 […]