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Whistleblowing compliance officer: Trouble from within

Your company’s compliance officer — the person to whom you entrusted your confidential business information — alleges you wrongfully terminated her after she tried to prevent you from violating a federal law. This 8th Circuit opinion rules against the whistleblower in a case that is a fine example of internal breakdown handling a compliance complaint, and sparks […]

Teen Summer Job Outlook: Partly Sunny

As retailers continue to cut in-store workers, high school and college students will have to look elsewhere for summer jobs. This could bode well for companies with seasonal and part-time positions to fill.

What it takes to be an indispensable employee

by Dan Oswald The other day, a colleague passed along an article from Inc. magazine titled “35 Habits That Make Employees Extremely Valuable.” Whether you’re an employee trying to figure out how to make yourself indispensable to your employer or a manager looking for the right type of person for your team, this piece, written […]

EEOC Makes Case for Obesity Discrimination

By Timothy M. Barber The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently sued an employer in New Orleans, Louisiana, claiming it violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by firing a woman because she was obese. In the past, an employee’s obesity didn’t constitute a “disability” within the meaning of the ADA. However, in light of […]

First Impressions

Litigation Value:  $0 Potential Savings:  $10,000 per retained employee Last night’s rerun didn’t offer much new, so we’ll fulfill our promise to revisit the second “Michael Scott Paper Company” episode. Michael crafted a deal to house his new company’s headquarters in a Dunder Mifflin closet. The dream team’s starry-eyed optimism soon wore off after Michael, […]

Rising Caregiver Responsibilities Fuel Push for Extra Worker Protections

The increasing need for employees to care for an older relative or friend should prompt an expansion of federal legal protections against workplace discrimination, according to a recent report by the AARP Public Policy Institute. In what the AARP report authors dub as the “new normal,” Protecting Family Caregivers from Employment Discrimination says discrimination in […]

Yahoo! CEO Pulls Plug on Telecommuting

Numerous media sources are reporting that Yahoo! is created its own headlines by announcing to employees that as of June 2013, it will no longer allow workers to telecommute, even for 1 day per week. Reports citing an internal memo say employees will still be allowed to work at home under special circumstances. MSNBC is […]

Everyone Needs Financial Wellness Training

Not many of us will ever earn a 7-figure salary, and it’s hard to imagine that someone who earns millions of dollars per year would need financial counseling. But the National Football League (NFL) Players Association (NFLPA) says financial education is important for its members because most NFL players earn the majority of their lifetime […]

Zappos’ Jamie Naughton’s Advice on Hiring, Retention

Q&A with Jamie Naughton, Cruise Ship Captain at Zappos.com Q: What’s the secret to getting on Fortune‘s “100 Best Companies to Work for in America” list? A: I don’t know if there’s a secret but I do know what they look for. Two thirds of the score is based solely off of what your employees […]

Employee Benefits: New Rules Require Notice Of Retirement Plan Blackout Periods

The U.S. Labor Department’s Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration has published rules to implement a new federal law”the Sarbanes-Oxley Act”; that, among other things, requires 401(k)-type plans to give participants 30 days’ advance notice of individual retirement plan blackout periods. The rules apply to blackout periods occurring on or after Jan. 26, 2003. We’ll explain […]