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Changes To California Mixed-Motive Rules

Yesterday, we looked at the case of a California employee, Lorena Alamo, who successfully established that her termination was due to improper “mixed motives” (the employer had both unlawful and legitimate reasons for the firing).

‘Thinking About Retirement?’—Danger or Diligence?

Can You Ask About Retirement Plans? Can you ask older employees about their retirement plans? Yes, if you are careful, says BLR® Senior Legal Editor Joan Farrell. But push too hard and it starts to look like age discrimination. If an employer has a legitimate reason, like workforce planning or succession planning, it’s not a […]

Communication—Critical in Comp and Everywhere Else

In many national employee attitude surveys, participating organizations were rated lowest on questions related to communication. On the flip side, employees who took the survey said communication was very important to them. In many national employee attitude surveys, participating organizations were rated lowest on questions related to communication. On the flip side, employees who took […]

California’s Economic Growth Expected to Outpace U.S.

By: Chris Kirkham Good news for California businesses—according to the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation’s (LAEDC) annual forecast, there will be continued job growth and economic output in the state through 2020. This is expected to outpace the rest of the nation.

“The Coup” Revisited

Litigation Value: $65,000 (but could have been much more) Having Dwight stand on his desk with the word “liar” hanging from his neck is not what I would consider the most effective method of employee discipline. Nor was tricking him into believing that he got Michael fired. But, without more, Michael’s actions may not be […]

It’s Easy to Be a Great Leader If You Can’t Be Fired, Right?

By Catherine Moreton Gray, JD In a conversation I had with one of my colleagues following the Pope’s visit, we talked about his apparent rejection of the trappings of his position in favor of staying true to his values. We also talked about the Pope’s communication skills, and about his focus on staying in touch […]

Stumped? New Perspective=New Solutions

It dawned on me that if you change the angle from which you look, you might see things you’ve never seen before. Swiss comedian and artist Ursus Wehrli once said, “I like to turn things upside down, to watch pictures and situations from another perspective.” Maybe that is what each one of us needs to […]