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Can You Ban Political Discussion? (You Can Try …)

What do you do if your workplace is so politically polarized that workers in the same department can’t have a civil discussion without becoming red-faced and loud-mouthed? In a BusinessWeek article, Bruce Weinstein, PhD., who calls himself “The Ethics Guy,”says that most political issues are by their nature highly divisive. At stake in this year’s […]

EEOC steps up enforcement of genetic information nondiscrimination

by Roberta Fields Each year, scientific advancements in the field of genetics broaden our understanding of health issues and, specifically, the impact heredity plays on a person’s chances of developing certain medical conditions. Such research has led to more and more genetic tests designed to help people understand their risks for getting cancer, diabetes, heart […]

‘Benefits? They Don’t Cost the Company Much!’

Surveys show workers greatly underestimate your cost of providing their benefits … and that there’s one “bennie” they won’t give up, whatever the cost to you or them. Health insurance … life insurance … disability … vision care … dental … the list goes on. Did you ever wonder where the idea of having employers […]

Hiring Foreign Nationals: A Visa Programs Primer

When the answer to a skills shortage is bringing in workers from other lands, do it legally by choosing the right visa program. Here’s what you need to know. A few years ago, the rock band U2 wrote a song called “These Are the Hands that Built America.” It spoke of how, over history, our […]

Employee Privacy: Workers’ Compensation Won’t Shield You from Privacy Claim; Don’t Put Your Organization at Risk

A workers’ compensation claim is typically the only remedy for an employee who gets injured on the job. But a California Court of Appeal recently ruled that an employee injured because a supervisor didn’t keep the person’s disciplinary matters private may bypass the workers’ comp system and sue you for damages.

Rare costs award granted in human rights complaint

by Hannah Roskey Although courts routinely order one party to pay the other party a portion of its legal fees, administrative tribunals in Canada very rarely have the power or inclination to do so. That includes human rights tribunals across the country, which very rarely order one party to pay the other’s legal costs even […]

U.S. Supreme Court Building

Supreme Court Provides Win for Employers in Wal-Mart Discrimination Lawsuit

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 […]

Massachusetts final sick leave regulations make substantial changes

by Susan G. Fentin Massachusetts Attorney General (AG) Maura Healey recently issued final regulations for the state’s new earned sick time law that aren’t quite what employers were expecting. As a result, employers are scrambling to update their sick time policies before the July 1 compliance deadline. Language in a “model notice” that the AG […]

What’s the First Accommodation Need for ‘Third Age’ Workers?

Do you understand the so-called “Third Age” employees, who years ago would be retired, but continue to work? Well, you’d better, since millions of Baby Boomers come under this umbrella. But you should also know the best ways to accommodate them in your workplace, says Cash Nickerson, JD, author of the book Stag Nation: Understanding […]