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Are Your Employees Prepared for Virtual Training?

When making the move to virtual training, “we, as trainers, often get caught up with what we need to do to prepare,” says Cindy Huggett, training consultant and author of Virtual Training Basics (www.cindyhuggett.com). However, it is important to keep in mind that, while virtual training is a new way for trainers to train, it […]

Andrews and Hogan verdicts demonstrate disgust against invasion of privacy

Just this month, two large jury awards were given to celebrities in their respective civil suits alleging amongst other things, invasion of privacy: First, FOX sportscaster Erin Andrews was awarded $55 million in her lawsuit against a Nashville hotel and stalker after she was secretly videotaped in her hotel room in 2008. The jury found […]

Employer Denies FMLA Leave Based on Certification Technicality

By Shelley I. Ericsson, JD The purpose of the FMLA is to allow an employee to manage a serious health condition (his own, a spouse’s, or a family member’s) without fear of losing his job. An employer cannot interfere with an employee’s FMLA rights or take action that appears to be penalizing the employee for […]

Managing Absences Related to Injury and Illness

by Daniel Pugen McCarthy Tetrault An increasingly difficult task for HR professionals is managing absences related to injury and illness. How far can you go to make an employee prove he or she is legitimately ill or legitimately able to return to work without restriction? The following are some tips to help your Canadian business […]

Organized labor’s knockout punch

by John Neighbours Following the United Auto Workers’ (UAW) election loss at Volkswagen’s (VW) automobile plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka declared, “That was just round one” in organized labor’s southern strategy. From my perspective that is nothing more than “making lemonade out of lemons.”  Transplant automobile manufacturers have been locating plants throughout […]

Disabilities: How Do We Determine Whether an Employee Is a Safety Threat?

We have a large workforce, and many people operate machinery, fork trucks, etc. Plus, many handle hazardous substances. We now think that some employees have medical conditions that may cause them to lose concentration, and we have some other employees who may be taking medications that might affect their ability to work safely. How do […]

Michael’s Goodbye

Tonight’s episode, a rerun of Part 1 of Michael Scott’s goodbye, had, unfortunately, limited employment law relevance.  But one thing did stand out — Gabe’s relentless pursuit (or re-pursuit) of Erin. Gabe demonstrates well the dangers of office romances. Gabe’s inability to cope with Erin’s decision to dump him has Gabe hounding Andy to stay […]

The Vicker(s) Cometh

Tonight truly marked the beginning of the end for Michael Scott, as a new Scranton branch manager made his first appearance. Deangelo Vickers, played by Will Ferrell, started out with a Michael-esque quality of lovable dope, but it soon became apparent Deangelo Vickers is no Michael Scott. It became apparent when he asked Erin to change the […]

Can AI Help Demonstrate Business Impact of Training?

Artificial intelligence (AI) represents the ability to leverage technology in ways that allow that technology to learn and improve over time. Already, in markets like manufacturing, AI is being used to streamline processes and perform tasks that can free up employees to focus on higher-impact work. In HR, AI has been identified as a tool […]

Can an Early Retirement Nudge Lead to a Lawsuit?

Employers are often reluctant to follow up on allegations made against employees nearing retirement age, both because of the fear of age bias claims, and because these employees stand to lose valuable retirement and other benefits if they’re terminated. For these reasons, employers sometimes suggest that the employee take early retirement rather than risk termination.