Most Popular

Maine passes gay marriage initiative

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 […]

Trump's Behavior Would Create a Nightmare in any Workplace

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 […]

Despite Senate passage, ENDA faces another hurdle

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 […]

Depressed, Discriminated Against, and Out on FMLA

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, […]

Readers Take Offense over ‘Commitment’ Column

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, […]

DoD to Begin Extending Employee Benefits to Same-sex Partners

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 […]

Terminating Employees: Laid-Off Employee’s Bias Charges Crumble in Face of Employer’s Solid Documentation; 4 Prudent Practices

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 […]

U.S. Supreme Court Reverses Decision on Decades-Old Maternity Leave

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 […]

NLRB to review Northwestern University football ruling

On April 24, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) announced that it will review a regional director’s decision that Northwestern University’s scholarship football players are employees who are eligible to unionize. The Board’s announcement came one day before a secret-ballot election, which will go on as scheduled. The NLRB said the ballots will be impounded […]

America’s Workforce is Aging, and That Could Be Good News

It’s true, none of us is getting any younger. But what’s especially interesting is that our workforce is becoming significantly older. In fact, it’s projected that by the year 2030, the number of people 65 years or older in the U.S. will represent 20% of the U.S. population, and many of them will still be […]