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Large-scale race bias lawsuits are the latest legal problem facing a number of high-profile employers. A race discrimination case filed against Microsoft by an African-American former account executive could expand into a $5 billion class action lawsuit. Rahn Jackson claimed that the software giant repeatedly denied him promotions because of his race. Now a lawyer who […]
A recent study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that adults who sat for 11 or more hours per day had a 40 percent higher chance of dying prematurely over the next 3 years compared with those who sat for fewer than 4 hours per day. University of Sydney researchers reviewed the habits […]
By Chris Semerjian When Canadian employers are buying other businesses, the question of noncompetes often arises. But a noncompetition provision in an employment contract may not be the answer. According to the Quebec Court of Appeal in Guay Inc. c. Payette, 2011 QCCA 2282, you may be better protected by only having a noncompetition covenant […]
By Dinita L. James Arizona’s attempt to make criminals out of those who work or seek employment while unlawfully in the United States suffered a fatal blow in the U.S. Supreme Court today. The 5-3 decision, written by Justice Anthony Kennedy, held that Congress already has “decided it would be inappropriate to impose criminal penalties […]
If traditional health insurance plan costs have skyrocketed out of sight but you still want to help your workers, mini-med plans may be the answer. Here’s what you need to know about them. Perhaps you’ve seen the TV ad where the actor on-screen says, “I’m thinking of a number. Can you guess what it is?” […]
by Bonny Mak Waterfall and Rachel Younan When a Canadian employer transfers its employee to a non-Canadian entity, is it still on the hook for wrongful dismissal damages? Recently, an Ontario court declined to hear a civil action claiming wrongful dismissal damages from an employee who was transferred to a United States subsidiary of a […]
by Isabelle Dongier Last year, Canada’s federal government introduced changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP). The changes were intended to encourage employers to put more effort into hiring Canadian workers by making it more difficult and expensive for them to hire temporary foreign workers. The changes have done just that. Adding to that […]
The workforce of today is growing more global than ever before. Traditional, in-house employees are out, and remote workers are in. We often praise the benefits of hiring freelance talent when finding full-time employees becomes a challenge, but now, employers across the country may have to start changing their people practices to accommodate “nomad” workers, […]
What’s your favorite type of movie: A sentimental love story? An insightful documentary? A crime-fighting action flick? What about a film about work? While the latter may not be the first thing that comes to mind, there are some good ones out there. A recent BLR® poll asked readers to rank their favorite workplace movies. […]
By David Banks Hawaii’s Act 206, which provides employment protections for victims of domestic and sexual violence, becomes effective January 1, 2012. Hawaii is one of only five states to enact a law protecting victims of domestic and sexual violence. Among other things, the Act: prohibits discrimination on the basis of domestic or sexual violence […]