Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
by Peter D. Lowe On Tuesday, 53 percent of Mainers voted to allow same-sex marriage. Question 1, which asked “Do you want to allow the State of Maine to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples,” was an indirect initiative. That means that because supporters collected the required number of signatures by January 2012 and the […]
by Tammy Binford Although the U.S. Senate voted in favor of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) on November 7, final passage of the bill, which would prohibit employers from discriminating against employees and applicants based on their sexual orientation and gender identity, faces an obstacle in the House. The Senate voted 64-32 to pass the […]
Like a moth to the flame, I’m going to revisit the subject of none other than Donald Trump. You can’t ignore that he is THE story right now. There’s no doubt that when it comes to Trump, emotions run high as we watch supporters and protesters clash—even physically—at his rallies. And there is no shortage […]
Some employee benefits such as child care and transportation benefits are soon to be offered to the same-sex domestic partners of military members, U.S. Department of Defense recently announced. Outgoing Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta indicated in Feb. 11 memo that the move was a step toward conferring benefits to same-sex partners that currently are only […]
Economic pressure may be forcing you to cut your workforce. And you may wonder if you can do anything to reduce your legal risks if an employee you’ve targeted for layoff has recently returned from medical leave. As one employer that recently sidestepped an expensive lawsuit learned, the answer may lie in how scrupulous you […]
In yesterday’s Advisor, we featured attorney Jonathan A. Segal’s take on the most common mistakes in discipline and termination. Today, more of his practical advice, and an introduction to a unique training system that will help all your supervisors and managers avoid lawsuits Segal, a partner in the Philadelphia office of law firm Duane Morris, […]
By BLR Founder and CEO Bob Brady BLR CEO Bob Brady’s “Commitment” column generated some surprisingly strong backlash. Here’s his response. In last week’s column I wrote about “commitment” in the workplace and tried to make a joking comparison about male-female relationships. My offhand attempt at humor backfired and provoked a mini-controversy. In the column, […]
Sometimes, broad diversity training isn’t enough. In fact, we’d venture to say that most times it’s not enough. That’s particularly the case when it comes to getting supervisors to take diversity seriously. “We’ve found that simple ‘diversity training’ doesn’t seem to do much to help managers ‘get it,’” says Joanne Cleaver, president of Wilson-Taylor Associates, […]
In a May 18, 2009, decision, the U.S. Supreme Court addressed the issue of whether women who took maternity leave decades ago (before discrimination based on pregnancy became illegal) can sue to have their pregnancy leave time count toward their pensions. The Court reversed the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals’ ruling and held that […]
When an employee initiates a complaint to HR of unfair treatment or sexual harassment, the best thing to do is to move immediately to start an investigation. Choose an objective, outside investigator, attorney, or HR professional to conduct the investigation. Prepare a summary statement of the complaint that the interviewee agrees with and signs. Interview […]