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Shabby Treatment at Termination Begs for a Lawsuit

The way you treat the people you terminate can make the difference between an ex-employee who is upset but moving on, and an ex-employee who is angry and calling 1-800-LAWYER. Lin Grensing-Pophal, writing in Human Resource Executive, cited several tales that highlight what disgruntled employees might do: One made a false accusation of harassment that […]

Separating Extravagant Perks from Those that Yield High ROIs

Many employers think that they need to offer things like table tennis in large and custom-designed breakrooms, organic juice bars, bring-your-dog-to-work days, and free lunch every other day—especially when it comes to hiring younger employees—to retain employees and keep them happy.

Terminated Employee Was Not a Whistleblower, Court Says

Is every employee who makes a formal complaint considered a “whistleblower”? The federal District Court says no. Mark Shulthies, a long time Amtrak employee working in California, sent an email to his supervisor complaining that the company’s decision to reorganize certain aspects of its service between the Bay Area and Bakersfield posed a “danger to […]

‘How’m I Doin’?’ Employee Survey Helps Answer that Question

By BLR Founder and CEO Bob Brady Bob Brady invites you to take stock of employee satisfaction at your organization—and find out how you compare to similar employers—with the BLR® National Employee Attitude Survey. Third edition The former mayor of New York City, Ed Koch, was famous for asking people, “How’m I doin’?” He’d ask […]

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 […]

FMLA Was My Favorite (When I Was a Plaintiffs’ Lawyer)

“FMLA was one of my favorite statutes when I was a plaintiffs’ lawyer,” says Attorney Tam Yelling. The law had a great intent, she adds, but it confuses employers. Yelling says that understanding the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) is simple: Two sentences sum up what employers need to do. Of course, Yelling has […]

Virginia Senate Passes Sexual Orientation Bias Protection for State Workers

by Michael E. Barnsback On Monday, February 8, the Virginia Senate passed a bill (SB 66) prohibiting discrimination in state employment that includes sexual orientation as a protected category. Although Governors Mark Warner and Tim Kaine issued executive orders prohibiting discrimination (including sexual orientation discrimination) in the state workforce, this is the first time that […]

Train Workers to Prevent Heat Illness

The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) provides heat illness prevention training to employers throughout the state. DOSH has also published the training program, in both English and Spanish, on the agency’s heat illness prevention website at www.dir.ca.gov/DOSH/HeatIllnessInfo.html. The training program covers what DOSH considers to be the essential components of its heat […]

So Sue Me, Jackass!

Think you have the right of free speech in the office? You’re making the classic fourth-grade mistake, say Amy Epstein Feldman and Robin Epstein, authors of the new book, So Sue Me, Jackass. Attorney Feldman is a nationally syndicated legal correspondent and general counsel of the Judge Group, Inc. Epstein is a writer and professor […]