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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 […]

Handle with care: Even nonunion strikers can present risk

Low-wage workers in cities across the country carried signs and voiced demands for higher pay last week, but those strikes and similar work stoppages last May differ from traditional walkouts. Unlike in most strikes, the picketers aren’t part of a union although they are getting encouragement from organized labor, especially from the Service Employees International […]

GOP ‘still has options’ after pulling ACA repeal bill

On March 24, Republican lawmakers pulled their proposal to undo parts of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) when it became clear they didn’t have the necessary votes to pass the bill in the House. The American Health Care Act would have, among other things, effectively voided the ACA’s employer mandate, which requires large employers to […]

Northern Exposure now with Fasken Martineau

by Brian Smeenk Just as Americans are considering how much change will occur in the context of the current election season, lots of change is happening north of the 49th parallel in the labor and employment field. Not the least of which, from the perspective of this publication, is a change in law firm affiliation. […]

Retailers and Hospitality Employers Face Steeper Reform Cost Increases

Health reform’s requirement that employers insure work forces will hit the retail and hospitality industries harder than others, because they are staffed with more low-wage and part-time workers, consulting firm Mercer LLC reported on Aug. 8. Forty-six percent of surveyed firms in the retail and hospitality sectors predicted health care cost increases of at least […]

religious

Preferential Treatment Based on Religious Beliefs Lands Employer in Hot Water

As a recent case demonstrates, favoring employees based on their religion can be as troublesome as penalizing employees for their religious beliefs. Religion at the Hospital Stephanie Osei was employed as a nurse at Brookside Hospital Medical Center for 22 years. For the last three years, she worked in the hospital’s Surgical Intensive Care Unit […]

Discrimination: FedEx Enters Massive Race Bias Settlement

FedEx Corp. has agreed to pay out $53.5 million to settle a class action lawsuit charging that the company’s express delivery unit, FedEx Express, discriminated against African-American and Latino workers. The settlement, which is believed to be among the 10 most expensive discrimination settlements in U.S. history, affects about 20,000 employees in the company’s Western […]

Binge work and the ever-expanding grindstone: What’s HR’s role?

Employees adhering to the old-style conventional wisdom that urges them to keep their noses to the grindstone hope their hard work will pay off. But they might be wise to heed a more modern take on how to approach work: Slow down and guard your health.   The concept of “binge working” is getting a lot […]

Federal contractors advised to get ready for new paid sick leave order

President Barack Obama’s latest Executive Order affecting federal contractors isn’t scheduled to take effect for more than a year, but employers with federal contracts are advised to take a look at their sick leave policies now to make sure they will be in compliance when the time comes. On September 7, Obama signed an Executive […]

Making the Most of the Hand You are Dealt

No Regrets: Making the Most of the Hand You’re Dealt

Last week, I attended the funeral of a good friend’s father. He was a man who was quite obviously loved by his family and friends. At the service, they displayed pictures of him during happy times with his wife, children, and grandchildren. The people who spoke at the funeral talked about a caring, generous man […]