Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
Today, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of Wal-Mart, the nation’s largest private employer, in a massive lawsuit that has been called the largest employment class action in U.S. history. The class of plaintiffs in Wal-Mart Stores v. Dukes included approximately 1.5 million former and current female Wal-Mart employees seeking injunctive, declaratory, and monetary […]
I’ve read how, due to the cost of administering long-term care (LTC) insurance, some private-sector vendors are either revisiting that benefit or jacking up premiums — partly because not enough people are signing up to sufficiently spread the risk, and costs, around. Well, the federal health reform law included a lofty goal of establishing a […]
A trial judge has turned the tables on a lawyer who failed to convince a jury that the law firm in which she was a partner had refused to accommodate her pregnancy. Finding that Shari Cohen Rosenman’s lawsuit was unreasonable, the court ordered her to pay $231,000 toward the attorney’s fees and costs of the […]
A record damage award levied against a telephone company that tried to prevent operators from speaking Spanish to each other in the workplace underscores the risks of enforcing English-only policies. Faced with this increasingly common type of bias case, a federal court has concluded that the language restriction amounted to illegal discrimination based on national […]
When you ask an employee to sign an employment termination agreement in exchange for severance benefits or other payments, you probably include language making clear that the agreement supersedes any prior understandings there may have been between you and the employee. But a new case suggests this commonly used provision has some significant hidden risks—and […]
By BLR Founder and CEO Bob Brady The Supreme Court says that if you haven’t filed a claim of sex discrimination in pay within 180 days of when it first happened, don’t bother. Some call this good news for employers. Others have cried foul. Here’s what our founder thinks. America’s Supreme Court justices are taking […]
by J. David Kutch A Palm Beach State College (PBSC) student received permission from the school to use a service dog trained to help her deal with the effects of her psychiatric disorders. However, she failed her classes and was escorted off the campus at times, apparently because two offices at the school had different […]
Yesterday’s Advisor discussed criminal records and disparate treatment; today, criminal records and disparate impact, plus an introduction to the all-in-one HR solutions site, HR.BLR.com. Disparate impact occurs when: The employer’s neutral policy or practice has the effect of disproportionately screening out a Title VII-protected group and The employer fails to demonstrate that the policy or […]
By HRDA Editor Stephen D. Bruce, PHR Just My E-pinion LOGO If your board is resistant to workplace flexibility, says Katty Kay, don’t present it as "work/life balance"; present it as "make more money." Don’t do it because it’s the "right thing to do," do it because it’s the "bright thing to do," adds Claire […]
If you run a smaller firm and pay an insurance company to cover your workers’ health, one of your top concerns is probably how to control spiraling health insurance expenses. Just two or three major health expenditures can cause your insurer to radically increase your premiums. And if you’re located in a part of the […]