Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
The EEOC announced that international entertainment troupe Cirque du Soleil will pay $600,000 to settle a charge that it fired aerial gymnast Matthew Cusick for being HIV-positive, in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The company claimed it believed his condition posed a direct threat to other performers, but the EEOC argued the decision […]
HR managers have a balancing act to perform in preventing retaliation, says Attorney Judith A. Moldover. You’ve got the manager storming around, saying "I’m going to get this person—can I fire him today?" And you’ve also got a complaining employee who is strutting around thinking he or she is bulletproof. Find the balance, Moldover says. […]
First of a four part series Whether bedbugs happen to invade an office, a warehouse, school, library, hotel, or restaurant, they can be quite difficult to find and eradicate, more so than in the typical home. “In most cases [at work], there is no bed or sleeping area in which to focus a search for […]
Are they talking about me? Do they understand me? Who knows? My workers speak a dozen languages. I’m making a simple rule– speak English at work or else you’re done here. What with changing demographics, retention woes, and increased hiring demands, more and more businesses are concerned about dealing with employees whose native language is […]
Few dispute research showing that a diverse workforce contributes to an employer’s success, but diversity efforts often don’t explore the benefits of recruiting people with disabilities. However, that’s beginning to change.
As we have reported before (January 6, 2009, December 2, 2008, and August 26, 2008), Wal-Mart has repeatedly been dealt blows by Canadian courts and other decision-makers. Most recently, an arbitrator in Quebec has weighed in – and it’s more bad news for Wal-Mart in Canada. Wal-Mart’s store in Jonquiere, Quebec, was certified by the […]
We have two main types of nonemployee workers: temps (who usually work just a few days or weeks) and leased employees (who work basically full time). In both cases, we pay a fee to the agency and the leasing company, and they handle all the employment matters, including hiring, payment, and benefits. My question is […]
by Mark I. Schickman Remembering that employment discrimination has been illegal for less than 50 years, workplace accommodation has come a long way. The first accommodation laws protected people with cancer, back when cancer was feared to be contagious. The law was put to the test when it was applied to protect people infected with […]
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is signaling employers that the agency is expanding its focus on emerging employment issues. And given the drastic change taking place in today’s workplace, the new priorities aren’t surprising, according to an attorney well-versed on the “gig economy” and other challenging employment issues. The EEOC recently announced its updated […]
Just My E-pinionBy Cindy McPherrin Cindy McPherrin, today’s guest columnist, offers her thoughts on the challenges of coping with her suddenly acquired HR responsibilities. (We’d like to hear about the challenges you’re facing as well.) I am the office manager of a two-family owned mid-size design/building firm. We have professional architects, we provide construction management […]