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Unchain Yourself from Your Desk

Over the Thanksgiving weekend, my youngest son pulled out his favorite holiday movie to get himself in the Christmas spirit. You see, my wife was planning a day of putting up the Christmas tree, stringing lights outside, and generally decorating our home for the holidays. You might say that not everyone in the family shares […]

News Notes: Wage Violations Cost Taco Bell Millions

About 1,300 former Taco Bell workers have won a lawsuit in Oregon that charged that supervisors doctored employee time cards in order to meet productivity goals and earn bonuses. Taco Bell supervisors allegedly admitted that they were pressured by senior managers to shave hours off time cards. Paul Breed, an attorney for the workers, has […]

Database hazards: What’s safe when conducting background checks?

No one wants to get burned by hiring a bad apple, so it’s common for employers to conduct background checks to lessen the chance of bringing a dishonest employee into the workplace. But as hazardous as it is to have shady employees, it also can be dangerous to step out of line when checking people […]

Census Data Supports Telecommuting as a Reasonable Accommodation Under ADA

Using home as a “reasonable accommodation” under the Americans with Disabilities Act, approximately 316,000 disabled employees regularly work from home, according to TeleworkResearchNetwork.com data. Those whom ADA protects join more than 13 million U.S. residents who currently work from home at least one day a week, according to a U.S. Census Bureau report released last […]

Infographic: Political Volatility in the Workplace Rises as Election Day Approaches

The workplace is not immune from the rising volume of rhetoric from the presidential campaign. After a May survey from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) found that political volatility was affecting some workplaces, SHRM repeated survey questions in October to determine whether Campaign 2016 was continuing to have an impact. “As we approach […]

Inflated Ratings Bring Legal Woes—Guaranteed

Yesterday’s Advisor featured the Four Ms of setting good appraisal goals; today, legal pitfalls in appraisals, plus an introduction to a unique leadership training system. Because poor performance is often advanced as the reason for a termination, the performance appraisal system is often the crux of the defense against a wrongful termination suit. Here’s how […]

Working while on vacation, home office injuries, and tandem lay-off meetings

Employees go on vacation, but business doesn’t stop. So sometimes workers are asked to put in time when they’re expecting to be kicking back at the beach. Working from home is a popular arrangement, but what are the workers’ compensation implications when an employee is injured in a home office? Lay-off meetings are never easy, […]

Catch Me If You Can Compensation? DOL Says ‘I Caught You’

Employers can say “Catch me if you can,” but they had better be ready to explain their decisions when the DOL says ‘I caught you,” says consultant Jonna Contacos-Saywer. “There is a dramatic increase in wage and hour lawsuits,” says Contacos-Sawyer (and the recent Wal-Mart decision probably means an even greater increase). At her presentation […]

Are Baby Boomers Driving Us Toward Health Care Collapse?

By BLR Founder and CEO Bob Brady Are there so many boomers that the healthcare system will collapse? Our CEO—and chief boomer—shares his thoughts on this potentially crippling challenge. In December 2007, the EEOC issued regulations allowing employers to offer lower health insurance benefits to retirees age 65 who are eligible for Medicare. This was […]

Delaware’s Law on Same-Sex Unions Takes Effect January 1

By Adria B. Martinelli and Lauren E. Moak The new law allowing same-sex civil unions in Delaware and recognizing civil unions performed in other states goes into effect January 1, 2012 after being passed last spring. The law also changes all sections of the Delaware Code that mention marriage by requiring that the word “marriage” […]