Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
According to a new report, there are some food trends that could have your employees gobbling up the contents of your vending machines. Today’s food world is a vastly different place than it was just 4years ago, thanks to a variety of forces that have reshaped our attitudes and behaviors about food. These forces have […]
by Judith E. Kramer and Daria H. Hafner President Barack Obama has submitted to Congress his budget request for fiscal year (FY) 2016, which begins on October 1, 2015. Here are the highlights of the administration’s requests for the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), and the National Labor Relations […]
by Matthew Jacobson Changes to the Maine minimum wage law taking effect January 1 mean that the minimum wage for tipped workers will continue to be $5 an hour instead of rising $1 an hour like the minimum wage for workers who don’t receive tips. Maine voters approved Question 4 on the 2016 ballot. The […]
Over the past several years, many employers have been blindsided by big class action lawsuits from employees who say they were misclassified as exempt from overtime and are owed millions in back pay. Farmers Insurance Exchange, Big Lots, and Electronics Boutique are just a few of the businesses hit by the suits. For a brief […]
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has released a draft of its Strategic Enforcement Plan (SEP) that spells out priorities such as stepped-up efforts against hiring discrimination and harassment, new protections for various vulnerable workers, preserving access to the legal system, and dealing with emerging issues like changes brought by the ADA Amendments Act. Recruitment […]
By Michael P. Maslanka Editor’s note: Fall is here, and for a lot of die-hard fans, that means just one thing — it’s football season. But the first three weeks of this football season were marred by a referee lockout that meant a lot of bad calls and missed penalties by the replacements. Many commentators […]
An employee who claimed her boss sexually harassed her was awarded nearly $400,000 in damages—but the supervisor, not the employer, will have to pay the tab. Maria Kaul worked for a short time as a secretary for Orion Systems, Inc., in Santa Clara. She claimed her boss, Morton Kessler, repeatedly commented on her clothing, kissed […]
by Mark I. Schickman In the movie Anchorman, Ron Burgundy is a toothy, handsome news anchor who leads a San Diego news station that is simply too sexist to believe. It seemed cartoonish—until now, when we meet San Diego’s toothy, handsome mayor who allegedly is a more out-of-control sexist than Ron Burgundy on his worst […]
by Richard Rainey As the holidays approach, we’ll gather with loved ones and hopefully have a chance to reflect on what we’re thankful for in our personal lives. In keeping with that tradition, we’ve given some thought to what we, as employment lawyers who represent businesses, are most thankful for when it comes to our […]