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Political Discrimination: The Elephant in the Room?

By Jeremy M. Brenner The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibits a state employer such as a university from discriminating against applicants and current employees based on their political beliefs or affiliations except in very limited instances. If an applicant or employee can demonstrate that her political views or associations caused a state employer […]

American Companies Are ‘Terrible at Flex’ (Sir Richard Branson)

Sir Richard Branson, Arianna Huffington, and Michael J. Fox all spoke at the recent SHRM Convention and Exhibition in Las Vegas—and each had a few timely hints for HR Managers: Sir Richard Branson, the British entrepreneur who has started about 300 companies, doesn’t think much of American policies regarding flextime and vacations. He calls the […]

Train Managers to Take Stock of Their Own Leadership Style

Both leaders with advanced skills and bosses who could use a bit of polishing will benefit by taking account of management areas upon which they can improve, according to Fierce, Inc. Train employees to take stock of their own management style with the information in today’s Advisor. While there are many different types of bosses, […]

Grown Up Digital: How the Net Generation is Changing Your World

HR writer Sarah McAdams reviews the book Grown Up Digital: How the Net Generation is Changing Your World by Don Tapscott. There are a handful of reasons to read Grown Up Digital: How the Net Generation is Changing Your World HC. Among them: 1) You don’t “get” the youngest workers at your organization; 2) You […]

Be Prepared for The Worst Case Scenario – Workplace Violence

With workplace violence attacks becoming more prevalent in the US, organizations need to be prepared for worst-case scenarios. Attacks in the workplace average three deaths and up to 12 injuries per attack, and lawsuits average $500,000 with jury awards averaging $3 million. Worse yet, the loss of friends and colleagues in the workplace is devastating…and […]

No FMLA for Grandparents, and Other Timely Tips

“Don’t try to be a ‘we’re one big family’ company and allow FMLA for grandparents,” says attorney Beverly Garofalo. “It will come back to bite you every time.” Garofalo, managing partner of the Hartford office of national employment law firm Jackson Lewis, delivered her remarks at a recent seminar sponsored by workforce management software supplier […]

Fighting distraction at work: Must concentration fall victim to collaboration?

HR professionals devote a lot of energy to fostering efficiency, productivity, and employee engagement. But is the effort from HR a waste if office design makes it difficult or impossible for employees to concentrate?  Sometimes offices designed with collaboration in mind—large open spaces with few sound-and-sight-killing walls—also invite distraction. So the question becomes how can […]

Did Employer’s Overtime Policy Create Unworkable ‘Catch-22’?

By Lorene Novakowski and Derek Knoechel As was noted in an earlier article here, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice recently certified a class action against the Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS). That lawsuit claims $300 million in unpaid overtime involving approximately 5,300 BNS sales staff: Fulawka v. Bank of Nova Scotia (Fulawka). Certification means […]