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7 Steps to Starting an Investigation in the Workplace

When an employee complains that a supervisor or co-worker is harassing or bullying them, or engaged in discriminatory or other illegal conduct, an investigation is often required to resolve the matter. However, few managers are trained in how to conduct them. Speaking at BLR’s National Employment Law Update this week in Las Vegas, Attorney Rebecca […]

Customer Care and Shareholder Value

I saw an article the other day with the headline “Shareholders vs. Customers: Who Comes First?” That got me thinking. What was the answer to this question posed by the author of the article?  My conclusion: You don’t have to choose. If you want to create long-term shareholder value in any business, you must meet […]

“English-Only” Lessons from a Taos Motel

Employment law attorney Robert P. Tinnin, Jr. tackles the tough question of whether an employer can implement an”English-only” policy. Q A couple moved to Taos, New Mexico, from Abilene, Texas, last summer and purchased a deteriorating old motel, hoping to rehab it as they’ve done with several other properties. According to news stories, the husband, […]

Usability – a New/Old Way to Improve Even the Best Ideas

By BLR Founder and CEO Bob Brady BLR now has what many think is the finest HR website available (HR.BLR.com), but its origins are very humble. In today’s column, I’d like to write about how we got from A to the current version, 3.1—and about a concept you can use to improve your HR ideas […]

Are Your Vacation Priorities in Order? 5 Strategies

According to the results of a new survey, 31 percent of employees won’t use all of their vacation days this year, and the average U.S. adult will leave about three vacation days on the table. The survey, conducted by online travel agency Expedia, found that work stress is driving the trend toward foregoing all available […]

ACA’s Automatic Enrollment Provision Repealed

One of the Affordable Care Act’s many (many) provisions required employers with 200 or more employees to automatically enroll employees into the employer’s lowest-cost healthcare plan if employees failed to either select a plan or opt out of coverage. That provision had not yet gone into effect, however, as enforcement was on hold pending the […]

HR Recordkeeping: Bor-ing–But Critical to Fighting Off Lawsuits

Yesterday’s Advisor offered tips for keeping hiring and employment records. Today we tackle termination records and introduce an upcoming audio conference that will answer your specific recordkeeping questions. As mentioned yesterday, attorneys Allen Kato and Trey Wichmann stress the importance of good records in fighting lawsuits. Today, their tips on terminations and termination records litigation: […]

News Notes: Harassment Complaint Used As A Pretext To Terminate Employee May Cost Employer $3.4 Million

Loren Peterson, the former president of financial printer Bowne of Los Angeles, was fired after allegedly admitting he violated the company’s sexual harassment policy. The incident involved comments he was accused of making while dancing with secretary Maria Gonzales on a company-sponsored trip to Club Med. But Peterson charged that the company used this as […]

Trump

President Trump’s growing pains could benefit from business lessons

by Dan Oswald If he has learned one lesson in his four months as president, Donald Trump has certainly discovered that the scrutiny he receives as the “leader of the free world” and one of the most powerful people in the world is much greater than anything he has experienced previously. President Trump, long known […]

Retaliation: Court Green-Lights Lawsuit by Employee Fired for Complaining that Co-Worker Was Harassed; Avoiding Retaliation Claims

Freddy Hernandez, a lead technician for Spacelabs Medical Inc. in Chatsworth and then in Redmond, Wash., was abruptly terminated after 20 years on the job—just weeks after he reported that a supervisor harassed a co-worker. We’ll explain why the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which covers California, said Hernandez can sue Spacelabs for retaliation.