Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
Litigation Value: $75,000 (I’m sticking with my earlier assessment) A number of people have asked me whether Jan could really be fired for dating Michael. My answer? Probably. Well, at least in most states. Employers can, and often do, implement policies prohibiting their employees from engaging in romantic relationships with co-workers and, certainly, with subordinates. […]
Last week, Congress approved important legislation, the ADA Amendments Act of 2008 (S. 3406), to amend the Americans with Disabilities Act to provide broader protections for disabled workers and turn back the clock on Supreme Court rulings that Congress deemed too restrictive of disabled employees’ rights. President Bush is expected to sign the Act, and […]
By Barbara J. Koenig, JD What can you do when an employee appears to be having mental issues, is performing poorly, has been warned about her substandard performance, and suddenly takes Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) leave?
I’d like to move my employees from a 5-day week to a 3- or 31/2-day week—that is, change over to 12-hour shifts from 8-hour shifts. Is there a way to do this without paying overtime? And is there any downside? — Alan, HR manager in San Diego
DOMA refers to the Defense of Marriage Act, which basically created a situation in which same-sex marriages were not recognized for any federal purpose. It all came about as a result of a 1993 ruling by the Supreme Court of Hawaii, which said that the state must show a compelling interest in prohibiting same-sex marriage. […]
It’s been a long time since I, like nearly any person educated in the United States, read Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. Now, like many other readers out there, it’s back on my bedside table since Ms. Lee consented to publication of her other manuscript, Go Set a Watchman. I haven’t tackled it yet, […]
Law enforcement officers fall into a different category where age discrimination is concerned. Age actually is a reason to deny hiring a police officer. Facts In 1989, Philip Geenen started working for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in a law enforcement position in South Dakota. He was 43 at the time. In 2005, at […]
The California Supreme Court has ruled 7-0 that sexually coarse and vulgar language used in meetings by writers developing scripts for the hit television sitcom “Friends” didn’t create a hostile work environment for a writers’ assistant on the show. According to the court, most of the objectionable language and conduct wasn’t aimed at the assistant, […]
Employers in an array of fields lament a shortage of talent. Sometimes employers are able to attract a flood of eager applicants, but few possess the skills and qualities needed. Other times, employers need people for special, short-term projects, and they don’t want to take on full-time, permanent employees to get the job done. No […]
Yesterday, we began to explore how to onboard employees while avoiding legal pitfalls. Today, we will cover a set of steps for streamlining the process.