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Defusing Anger and Threats of Violence

In yesterday’s Advisor, Dennis A. Davis, Ph.D., talked about dealing with workplace conflict. Today, we’ll get his take on reacting to anger and violence, and we’ll get a look at a unique program for the small—even one-person—HR department. Sometimes people think anger leads to violence, so they won’t let an angry person talk. But it’s […]

You’re the Expert: Inappropriate Comments

That radio character, Don Imus, who got fired for his inappropriate comments? I think I’ve got a few Imuses in my company. How do I get the “good ol’ boys” to toe the line and stop with their insensitive jokes and actions?

Supreme Court Rules on ‘Me Too’ Evidence

The U.S. Supreme Court has completed its review of a key Kansas age discrimination case, settling a split between federal courts on the admissibility of “me too” evidence. “Me too” evidence is testimony by non-parties that alleges discrimination at the hands of persons who played no part in the challenged employment decision. In the present […]

Family And Medical Leave: The Top 8 Mistakes Employers Make

Figuring out how to administer family and medical leave can be tough. And one misstep-even if it seems minor-can lead to a lawsuit. Since the federal family leave law went into effect five years ago, the U.S. Department of Labor has processed thousands of employee complaints. Based on those charges, the department has pinpointed the […]

EEOC on the Lookout: Ensure Your Attendance Policies Are Legal

By Kelley E. Kaufman, Esq. These days, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is on the lookout for both inflexible leave of absence policies and no-fault attendance policies. While few employers welcome news of a targeted enforcement initiative, the best defense is a good offense. According to the EEOC, the Americans With Disabilities Act requires […]

Determining FMLA Eligibility: New Definition of Spouse

In the case of Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) leave to care for a family member, once the employer has determined whether an individual employee is eligible for FMLA leave, many times the next hurdle is determining if the family member is covered by the FMLA. This determination has become somewhat more complicated as […]

News Notes: Federal Employees Discouraged From Using Cell Phones While Driving

The U.S. General Services Administration has asked federal agencies to discourage employees from using handheld wireless phones while driving government vehicles. Citing pending legislation around the nation to regulate the use of cell phones while driving, the GSA stated that the government should assume a leadership role in promoting cell phone safety by its employees. […]

Employees, Public Criticism, and the Media

by Jean-François Cloutier Your employee makes critical comments to the press about your company. Is he a legitimate whistleblower or has he violated his duty of loyalty to his employer? In Chopra et al. v. Treasury Board (Department of Health), an adjudicator at the Public Service Labour Relations Board recently considered just that. He considered […]

Older Hispanics in the United States

Here are some facts about the older Hispanic population from the Urban Institute’s report “50+ Hispanic Workers: A Growing Segment of the U.S. Workforce” by Richard W. Johnson and Maurcio Soto: There were 5.6 million Latinos ages 50 to 69  living in the U.S. in 2007. Between 1980 and 2007, Latinos’ share of the national […]

Important Interview Questions You Can’t Ask, Part 2

In the last Advisor, we shared several forbidden interview questions. Today, we hit a few more and also talk about an extraordinary interviewer’s training program to help avoid these costly miscues. Untrained supervisors sitting in the interview room—who knows what they’re going to ask applicants! One thing for sure, they are nervous, and that means […]