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Need to boost productivity? Go to war against workplace distractions

Ever stop to consider just what your employees do all day? If they’re like a lot of today’s workers, they’re fitting in their core work around a host of distractions and interruptions.  A Harvard Business Review report from March 7, 2016, cites a study showing that the average worker checks email 74 times a day. […]

Speak up now: Seattle $15 minimum wage proposal comment period is open

by Amy Kunkel-Patterson The Seattle employment community is abuzz about the prospect of a $15 minimum wage for all Seattle employees, which would make it the highest minimum wage in the nation. The idea isn’t new. In the fall of 2013, voters in the city of SeaTac passed a $15 minimum wage initiative, and Kshama […]

technology

Few Employers Capitalizing on Job Satisfaction Benefits of Digitization

With historically low unemployment rates, it’s more important than ever to keep employees satisfied and engaged because they are simply in greater demand and have more options. So, employers should be doing whatever they reasonably can to ensure their employees are happy and satisfied.

New York minimum wage going up on December 31

The first of a series of increases intended to bring New York’s state minimum wage to $15 an hour is set to go into effect on December 31. As a result of a measure signed into law in April, the state will see minimum wage increases implemented on a regional basis. The state’s current basic […]

Domestic Violence and the Workplace

White House Staff Secretary Rob Porter recently resigned from his position, because of allegations of domestic violence from his two ex-wives. The initial issue wasn’t the abuse itself, which he denied, but rather that Porter’s security clearance had been held up, due to the fact that he could be subject to blackmail.

Federal Contractor Alert: Changes in Monetary Thresholds and Minimum Wage In 2016

By Susan Schoenfeld, JD In what could be construed as an “under the radar” move, in late 2015, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) quietly changed federal contractors’ contract threshold amounts for coverage under the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA) and Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act (Section 503).

‘Claude,’ Attorney at Law? AI Platforms Don’t Have Attorney-Client Privilege

Tech aficionados know “Claude” as a generative artificial intelligence (AI) platform operated by a private company. Former CEO Bradley Heppner was indicted for criminal fraud. He turned to, you guessed it, “Claude” for legal advice and counsel. Question: Were his discussions with “Claude” protected from disclosure by the attorney-client privilege, or could the government obtain […]

Retaliation: Can We Discipline Someone Who Is under an “Umbrella of Protection”?

Occasionally we have an employee we would like to discipline (or fire outright), but the employee has recently done something that leaves us open to a retaliation charge if we take action against them-like making a discrimination complaint, requesting FMLA leave, or talking to OSHA about safety issues. Right now, we have a manager who […]

hiring

You’ve Got No Experience? You’re Hired!

With the war for talent raging and unemployment numbers at record lows, employers are doing everything they can to recruit top talent, but are some taking it too far?

Getting a Little (Maid of the) Misty

Litigation Value: $0 for Dunder-Mifflin (consider the bullets dodged for now), but I’d love to be the plaintiffs’ lawyer representing those poor souls who got ice from the machine in which Kevin stuck his formerly Kleenex-boxed feet I don’t normally cry at weddings, but I could see making an exception for the long-anticipated nuptials of […]