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Will Skillspotting Be Your Competitive Advantage?  

Mastery is not just what you know. It’s what you can do with what you know.  When 40-year-old Vozinha joined the Cape Verde national team in their 2026 World Cup opener against Spain, most people watching had no idea that he would become a breakout star of the tournament. It wasn’t until he shut out […]

Another Gong Sounds for the End to Mandatory Retirement

By Ralph N. Nero and Keri L. Bennett Following the earlier lead of many Canadian provinces, the federal government has now outlawed mandatory retirement for federally regulated employers such as banks, telecommunications companies, airlines, and railways. Like many provincial governments have done, the federal government has repealed provisions under the Canadian Human Rights Act that […]

National Coffee Day Survey—Top 10 Professions That Most Need the Perk at Work

According to the results, the professions with the highest proportions of workers stating they are less productive without coffee vary widely. Those who need coffee to get through the workday the most are: Food Preparation/Service Workers Scientists Sales Representatives Marketing/Public Relations Professionals Nurses (Nurse, Nurse Practitioner, or Physician Assistant) Editors/Writers/Media Workers Business Executives Teachers/Instructors (K–12) […]

Karma in the C-Suite? Readers Respond

Does “what goes around come around”? BLR® CEO Dan Oswald shared his thoughts on the subject in a recent edition of The Oswald Letter. Many readers agreed with Oswald; others were concerned about his state of mind. Oswald’s original column concluded: “Don’t spend your time thinking about how unfair life is because some people seem […]

Workers’ Compensation: When You Can Terminate An Injured Employee’s Health Benefits; 3 Guidelines To Follow

Several years ago, the California Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board ruled that it’s illegal to terminate an injured worker’s health benefits unless you can show a legitimate business reason for doing so. But now the board has ruled that you can cut off health benefits for an employee out on workers’ comp leave so long as […]

Case signals lower threshold for mental distress when cause allegation fails

By Thora Sigurdson The British Columbia Supreme Court recently awarded damages for mental distress in the context of a termination for cause. The decision in George v. Cowichan Tribes signals that it may be easier to establish such a claim when there is a just cause allegation that fails, compared with terminations without cause. It […]

Wellness: Everyone Wins—Including the Lawyers

Wellness programs—win-win and no legal hassles, right? Actually, there are a number of legal pitfalls awaiting the unwary wellness manager. For example, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), the Internal Revenue Code, and the Genetic Information Nondisclosure Act (GINA) all have requirements that bear on wellness programs. […]

Pennsylvania: FMLA Settlement Proceeds Not Subject to Federal Tax Withholding

By Gregory J. Wartman A Pennsylvania federal court has ruled that an employer doesn’t have to withhold federal payroll taxes from a settlement payment resolving a discrimination claim under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). The court reasoned that because the FMLA settlement proceeds weren’t wages, they weren’t subject to federal withholdings.