Most Popular
Harvard Law Grad Reflects on Employers’ Prospects If Kagan on Court
by Joanna R. Vilos President Barack Obama today nominated Elena Kagan to replace Justice John Paul Stevens on the U.S. Supreme Court. Stevens has a reputation for making employee-friendly decisions in cases that have reached the high court, but most employers don’t have much familiarity with Kagan or her views on employment-related issues. So how […]
New Mexico Employees Are Entitled to Medical Marijuana Costs Reimbursement
By Barbara J. Koenig, JD, Jackson Loman Stanford & Downey
Management Lessons from the Oval Office
Last week, the Wall Street Journal ran a front-page article that discussed President Barack Obama’s management style. Among other things, the article said the President likes to get deeper into the details than many of his predecessors. It also discussed how he uses debate-like techniques to drill into subjects, even having staff members take and […]
Organized labor continues to branch out
by Connor Beatty Maine lobstermen, paralegals, and college football players may not initially strike you as the type of workers who would join a union. Yet, in the past year, each group has taken steps toward unionizing, highlighting the trend of the modern union with organized labor branching out into previously unimagined industries. Why would […]
Breach of privacy rights: What’s it worth?
by Lorene Novakowski In a recent Alberta arbitration award, the arbitrator awarded damages to employees for a breach of their privacy rights, in the amount of $1,250 each. The grievance arose after the province of Alberta conducted background credit checks without consent on 26 government employees. The employees worked in an area–maintenance enforcement–that gave them discretion in […]
Employee Leaves: How Do We Get Control of Our PTO Program?
We’ve got a situation around our PTO (Paid Time Off) program. When we first initiated it, people liked it, and we thought that the very clear policy—exceed your accrued PTO days and you won’t get paid for any additional time off—would work well. We figured employees would hoard their days, and that we’d only have […]
Dependent Coverage Can Pose Challenges
Many, perhaps most, employers provide some coverage to employees’ dependents under the benefit plans they offer. But an employer needs to be careful when it does so. Many factors can complicate this coverage. Following are examples that highlight complicated situations that can arise for an employer that covers employees’ dependents and how an employer should address […]
Can Employers Say What Workers Must Weigh?
Stung by rising healthcare costs related to excess employee weight, employers are helping their workers fight fat and win more than a slim victory. Have you noticed the increase in diet ads on TV recently? That’s business taking advantage of the general panic that hits the general public when it steps on a scale after […]
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 […]