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St. Patrick’s Day: Statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau

March is Irish-American History Month. St. Patrick’s day (March 17) means a lot more than green beer and pinching those who forget to wear green. Originally a religious holiday to honor St. Patrick, who introduced Christianity to Ireland in the fifth century, St. Patrick’s Day has evolved into a celebration for all things Irish. The […]

Bagel, Anyone? HR Pro’s Tips to Improve Employee Engagement (Video)

Andrew Botwin explains that “engagement” at Rothstein Kass means employees getting involved. The national accounting firm uses feedback from employee focus groups to make changes that employees can see. He also recommends adding a social element to official functions to keep employees engaged. That can be something as simple as bagels at a morning meeting […]

Alleged Harasser Sidelined during Arbitration

By Frederic Parisien Workplace harassment, at the onset, involves two players — the harasser and the harassee. A third party is added once a complaint is filed — the employer. And a fourth player, the union, is added if that complaint is a grievance. To what extent does the alleged harasser continue to be a […]

Success through rudeness and hostility

Silicon Valley’s third season is in full swing on HBO, which raised a question in my mind: if Michael Scott’s Dunder Mifflin warranted an entire blog from the FordHarrison crew, isn’t the Hacker Hostel’s Erlich Bachman at least due his own post? My answer: Of course he is! For the uninitiated, Silicon Valley is a […]

An I-9 Checklist

When the government cracks down, as it has been doing over I-9 and immigration procedures, it’s vital to ensure that your processes are correct. This checklist can help. Yesterday’s Daily Advisor reported on government efforts to curtail illegal immigration by eliminating the principal lure that brings these immigrants here … jobs that, even for the […]

Will Gender, National Origin Make a Difference in Sotomayor’s Jurisprudence? – Part 2

by James M. Sconzo and James C. Goodfellow Last week, we disussed the overall makeup of the U.S. Supreme Court and the personal background of the High Court’s newest nominee, Sonia Sotomayor. We also looked at Judge Sotomayor’s decision in the discrimination case filed by New Haven, Connecticut, firefighters which was recently overturned by the […]

Is work or pleasure taking you abroad?

by Elaine Young Here is a look at the various issues that may come up when you need to visit another country for work. Or for vacation! Passports How many times have we received a call from someone who is about to depart on a business trip and realizes that her U.S. passport has expired? […]

DOL: Cafeteria Plans and Cash Alone Fail ACA Employer Mandate

Employers cannot simply give employees extra money to buy individual health insurance — whether through health reimbursement arrangements, health flexible spending arrangements or just plain cash — and expect to avoid “shared responsibility” penalties, the IRS with the U.S. Departments of Labor and Health and Human Services said in new frequently asked questions about the […]

Employer’s Free Speech Rights Upheld

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals issued an opinion this week denying the application of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to have eight employees of the Santa Barbara News-Press, who were fired for engaging in union activity, reinstated.