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Employers advised to stay up to date on legal trends affecting transgender rights

The Trump administration’s action rescinding guidance to public schools on restroom policies for transgender students sends a different signal than guidance from federal agencies dealing with employment, but the real message for employers is to stay tuned. On February 22, the Trump administration revoked Obama administration guidelines that advised public schools to allow transgender students […]

2016 SHRM Conference Hot Topics

The Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) will be holding the largest HR conference in North America next week. SHRM 2016 Annual Conference & Exposition in D.C. will be covering the hottest HR topics of 2016. BLR is on top of these topics in publications like the one you receive daily. We’ve taken a look […]

Before Jumping into Wellness Programs, Consider the Pitfalls

Wellness programs sound like a great idea to improve employees’ health status, minimize absenteeism, and generally improve your workplace. Yesterday we looked at some simple ways to introduce wellness programs at your office. However, it’s not all sun salutations and stress breaks. Here are some basic pitfalls that sometimes make a wellness program a little […]

In ‘denial’: Alberta Court of Appeal revisits addiction in the workplace

by Hannah Roskey The Alberta Court of Appeal recently released its decision in Stewart v. Elk Valley Coal Corporation, a must-read for Canadian employers dealing with employee addiction issues. In lengthy reasons, a majority of the court agreed that there was no discrimination when an employee under the influence of cocaine was fired following a […]

How Much Does Brett Favre Case Reveal?

by Dennis J. Merley The “will he or won’t he” retirement saga of Minnesota Vikings quarterback Brett Favre has been a source of speculation and a modest degree of amusement in the sports world. His more recent “did he or didn’t he” events, however, raise serious issues that HR professionals and employment lawyers know all […]

Hiring Returning Vets—Best Bet Out There?

The federal government is going all out to make it easy and attractive to hire returning veterans. For today’s Advisor, we’ve collected some valuable tips to help you consider this special opportunity. Why Hire a Vet? The America’s Heroes at Work website offers the “Top 10” reasons to hire a vet: Ability to learn new […]

discrimination

Avoiding Candidates with ‘Too Much Experience’ Could Land Employers in Hot Water

A 58-year-old attorney had too much experience to seek an in-house legal position with a healthcare products company. In a U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit—which covers Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin—decision, the court considered whether the “disparate impact” provision of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) covers job applicants or only current […]

NFL player’s racist comment sparks debate

by John Phillips Here we go again. First, cooking queen Paula Deen. Now, NFL player Riley Cooper. The two situations are different, but both involve use of the N-word. For Deen, the question was whether, at some point in the past, her use of the N-word and her consideration of having black employees dress up […]

Oh [no], Canada!

Unless you’ve been under a rock for the past couple of weeks, you’ve probably heard about Toronto’s crack-smoking mayor, Rob Ford. No, I don’t mean that term in the figurative sense or as a commentary on some outlandish political policy he has chosen to pursue. I mean it quite literally, as Rob Ford admitted in […]

NLRB’s McDonald’s franchise determination called ‘aggressive play’

A National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) ruling that the McDonald’s corporation is a joint employer with its franchisees is a departure from longtime precedent that’s drawing fire from the fast-food giant and other business interests. The NLRB’s Office of the General Counsel released a statement on July 29 saying the Oak Brook, Illinois-based corporation could […]