Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
Welcome to the introductory issue of Northern Exposure. This new e-zine and blog highlights important developments in Canadian labor and employment law and will be of special interest to companies with operations in Canada. In addition to news articles, the blog and e-zine will include practical Employer’s Tips and Q&As to help you better understand […]
by Bonny Mak Waterfall There’s good news for Canadian employers in the federal sector—those engaged in federal works and undertakings such as airlines, airports, railways, banking, interprovincial transportation, and telecommunications. For many years, employers in Canada’s federal sector understood that they did not have the right to dismiss employees without cause unless such termination was […]
Over the last several years, the U.S. Supreme Court has issued a string of decisions limiting the rights of state employees to sue their state employers for violating federal employment laws. Now a new high court decision continues the trend, ruling that state employees can’t recover damages for disability discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities […]
A few weeks ago, our company held its annual strategic planning session. In a meeting of our executive team, a consultant we work with shared an insight that I want to pass along. What did he say that I found so profound? He told us that successful leaders “make it clear which behaviors are most […]
by Carolyn Matthews, Foulston Siefkin LLP How many Democrats does it take to screw in a lightbulb in Kansas? That’s a trick question — there aren’t any Democrats in Kansas. Republican Sam Brownback was elected governor. Republicans also took the secretary of state, attorney general, and state treasurer positions from the Democratic incumbents. Republican Jerry […]
This week was another repeat of “Niagara,” the hour-long Pam and Jim wedding episode. Doug Hall and Matt Scott did a nice job with this episode here and here offering different takes on employee behavior outside the office. But seriously, does an employer really have to be concerned about what happens at an employee’s wedding? Yup. The […]
Some issues have arisen with several of our employees who are out on leave—their jobs have been changed or eliminated, and one employee has done something that warrants termination. But someone told me that these workers are “protected” because they are on leave. Can we go ahead and fire them, or will we be slapped […]
Large employers learned more details in new IRS guidance about how to both report about their coverage and fill out and file IRS forms designed to determine whether they are meeting the Affordable Care Act’s coverage requirements for employers. Under the new guidance, if a large employer’s workforce is comprised entirely of part-time employees who were […]
By Jane Meacham The IRS on June 15 released guidance on paying employees from a defined benefit (DB) plan once the participant has entered phased retirement and whether the distributions should be taxed.
Oregon’s new “ban the box” law takes effect January 1, meaning employers will be prohibited from asking applicants to check a box inquiring about criminal history on employment applications. The new law makes it unlawful to exclude an applicant from an initial interview solely because of a past criminal conviction. An applicant is unlawfully excluded […]