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No woman, no cry

Litigation Value: Dwight’s sexual and sexist comments regarding women = additional fodder for a hostile work environment claim (not to mention Clark’s potential claims); Jim taking calls about starting a different company on Dunder Mifflin time = a potential breach of the duty of loyalty; taking another trip to crazy town with Jan = priceless. With David […]

meeting

The Ideal Work Environment Across (and Between) Generations

In yesterday’s Advisor, we took a look at some results of a new CareerBuilder survey highlighting intergenerational opinions of the working world. Today, we have more results of the survey, including how the ideal work environment is perceived among high school seniors vs. the current workforce. The national online survey, conducted on behalf of CareerBuilder […]

Is It OK for Reps to Make More than Their Managers?

In yesterday’s Advisor, consultant Joseph DiMisa offered real-world metrics for incentive pay; today, reps that make more than their managers, sign-on bonuses, plus practical guidance for all employers who operate in more than one state. Can reps make more than their managers? Yes, it’s fairly common, says DiMisa, and, in most companies, there’s no limit […]

Court Allows ERISA Plan to Deny Coverage to Same-Gender Spouse

A self-insured employer that explicitly excludes same-gender spouses from health plan coverage did not violate ERISA’s benefit interference or fiduciary breach provisions by having such exclusionary language, a federal district court in New York ruled. A same-gender couple had argued that, in light of U.S. v. Windsor, because the plan declined to cover the spouse, the employer interfered […]

Do You Train Supervisors to Make Good Decisions?

  A decision from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Iowa shows how far some former employees will reach to stretch their termination into some legal claim against their employer. More important, though, it underscores the importance that training and supervisor/manager competence can play in protecting employers from spurious legal claims. Background […]

R U Using these 3 Rs to Make Initial Training Effective?

  Workers don’t need you to put on a Broadway-quality song-and-dance routine every time they need training. What workers really need is for you to give them what they need to know to do their jobs, in a way that they can understand. So, when you’re planning your training sessions, focus on these three Rs: […]

Legal knots untied: Same-sex marriage soon to be lawful in Florida

by Robert J. Sniffen and Jeff Slanker Effective January 6, 2015, same-sex marriage will be lawful in Florida. On December 19, 2014, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to extend the postponement of a federal district court’s decision that Florida’s ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional. The district court judge postponed his order until January 5, 2015, […]

unemployment

Workers Actively Seeking Jobs Declines Significantly, According to New Report

With the U.S. unemployment rate standing at 5.1%—its lowest level since 2008—conventional wisdom suggests that workers would be aggressively pursuing new employment opportunities. However, a new “Global Talent Monitor” report released by CEB (a best practice insight and technology company), announced recently in a press release, indicates that the number of U.S. employed workers actively […]