Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
On Monday (June 29, 2009), the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of white firefighters in a 5-4 decision addressing workplace reverse discrimination. The Court held, in Ricci v. DeStefano, that the city of New Haven, Connecticut, violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 when it threw out the results of a […]
Bringing on contingent workers can be a wise decision for many employers, but a number of issues need to be considered when deciding whether contingent staff makes sense. Here are some matters to bear in mind:
Yesterday, we looked at 5 tips for conducting an effective sexual harassment investigation. Today, 4 more — plus an introduction to an in-depth investigations webinar next week, specifically for California employers. [Click here for yesterday’s tips] 6. Communicate your findings to both the employee and the alleged harasser and provide them with the opportunity to […]
You might have heard that the Supreme Court recently threw out the District of Columbia’s decades-long ban on handguns. Of course, there are limitations. If you are mentally insane or a convicted felon, then you’re out of luck. So, many of our favorites on The Office probably still can’t pack heat into the Capitol — […]
A Southern California jury has ordered an employer to pay $2,331,319 to two waitresses who said they were sexually harassed by other employees and then retaliated against after they complained. Rebecca Barklage and Malissa McCard worked at Birraporetti’s Restaurant in Costa Mesa. They claimed that the kitchen staff and several busboys repeatedly harassed them. One […]
This article series highlights the requirements for determining Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) eligibility. The last installment focused on the first area of the three-prong test used to determine FMLA eligibility, the minimum service requirement.
It used to be pretty well settled in Massachusetts (and many other places) that an employee couldn’t win an employment discrimination case without proving their employer’s allegedly discriminatory actions caused them to suffer meaningful harm—i.e., that the “adverse employment action” their employer took against them was “material.” That changed back in 2024, when the U.S. […]
If the economy continues to improve, employers may be headed to what the most pessimistic call “Turnover Armageddon.” What can you do to prepare? If your organization is like most, workers have been patient about compensation for several years of low or no raises. They understood that their organizations were squeezed by economic pressures, and […]
The relationship between mental and physical wellbeing and engaged, productive workers has been well researched. Today we’ll take a look at an infographic provided by LifeWorks, an Employee Assistance Program that takes a holistic approach to employee assistance and well-being. Many say that mitigating stress in the office can begin with recruiting so let’s take […]
Failure to carefully document discipline remains one of the biggest legal problems that employers face, says attorney Jonathan Segal. Lawsuits that should never have been brought appear on your desk, and lawsuits that should have been dismissed become hard to fight. Segal is a partner with the Wolf Block law firm in Philadelphia. His tips […]