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Race Harassment: Offensive Radio Promotion Costs Disney $2 Million

Walt Disney Co. will pay $2 million to settle a race discrimination lawsuit brought by a former employee of KLOS-FM, a Disney-owned radio station in Los Angeles. The suit followed a radio promotion in which “Black Hoes”—black, plastic gardening tools—were given away as gag prizes. Judy Goodwin, a former African-American employee, claimed she suffered daily […]

Attracting–and Compensating–the Coveted ‘Passive’ Candidates

In yesterday’s issue, we talked about “passive” candidates—the supposedly great candidates that aren’t actively seeking a job change. Today, suggestions for approaching them and a tool to help with compensation when you hire them. Heather Hamilton, a staffing manager and Microsoft Employee Evangelist, shares her tips for attracting “passive” candidates on her One Louder blog: […]

Forbidden Questions—The Bad and the Ugly

By BLR Founder and CEO Bob Brady Our recent column about forbidden interview questions asked readers to send in some examples, and send you did! This week we’ll share your horror stories and in a future issue, the “good” questions and comments. So here are the worst or most humorous questions readers submitted: “If you […]

EEOC calling for changes to ADA regulations related to wellness programs

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking addressing how employer wellness programs can be in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The EEOC announced the proposed rule on April 16, and it was published in the Federal Register on April 20. Members of the public have until […]

News Notes: Is Same-Sex Horseplay Harassment When It Involves Heterosexuals?

Same-sex harassment is illegal under California law if the harassment is “because of” a person’s gender. The concept is easy to apply when the perpetrator and the victim are gays or lesbians of the same gender. But is crude behavior by a heterosexual employee against someone of the same gender-such as making sexually explicit jokes […]

DOL’s Top Independent Contractor Trouble Spots

As seen in yesterday’s Advisor, the determination of independent contractor status can be tricky. Today: DOL’s top contractor problem spots, and a guide that picks up your FLSA problems before the feds do. The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) points out the following particular problem areas for employers when it comes to determining whether a […]

Dispute Resolution: What Are Your Recommendations Concerning Arbitration Agreements?

I’m tasked with making a recommendation concerning arbitration agreements for our employees. My questions are: Do you recommend these agreements? For all employees? How do we go about establishing this for new and current employees? Any particular pitfalls to watch out for? — Elaine, HR Specialist in Encino   The typical employee arbitration agreement requires […]

CBO Says Health Reform Delays Will Cost Feds $12 Billion; 1M Fewer People to Have Coverage

The government’s costs to implement health care reform is expected to rise by $12 billion as a result of the recently announced delay in the employer mandate and information reporting requirements, according to a July 30 letter by the Congressional Budget Office and the Joint Committee on Taxation. In addition, the letter to the House […]

Severance Agreements: Older Worker Who Signs Release Can Still Sue You; Supreme Court Rules

Once a terminated employeehas signed a release promising not to sue and has cashed theirseverance check, you probably think you are free from their legalclaims against you. In most cases, you’d be right. But you couldbe in for an expensive surprise if the employee is 40 years orolder and your paperwork isn’t perfect. That’s because […]