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Did Misconduct Discovered During FMLA Leave Justify Termination?

By Lisa Berg, Stearns Weaver Miller Weissler Alhadeff & Sitterson, P.A. The U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals—which covers Alabama, Florida, and Georgia—recently had to decide whether Dollar General violated the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) or the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) when it terminated an employee based on its discovery during her […]

New human rights regime now in force in Ontario

by Brian Smeenk On June 30, 2008, new human rights legislation in Ontario came into force. The new regime radically changes the way in which human rights complaints are dealt with in Ontario. Employers, employees, and unions are watching closely to see how well the new system works. 1. Complainants given direct access to tribunal […]

First Circuit Serves Up Employer-Friendly Ruling; FLSA Admin. Exemption Does Not Cater to Banquet Employees

Banquet sales managers do qualify for the administrative exemption under the Fair Labor Standards Act — meaning no overtime is on the menu. So says the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Hines v. State Room, Inc. Plaintiffs in the case are former employees of banquet facilities that “host high-end wedding receptions and other […]

Coming Together in Flood-Ravaged Nashville

The greater Nashville metro area, where our company is headquartered, experienced widespread flooding during the first days of May. The devastation was significant. In fact, Tennessee’s governor asked that 53 counties across the state be declared federal disaster areas. When something like this happens, everyone is affected by it in varying degrees. Some of us […]

Living Wage: Santa Cruz Adopts Nation’s Highest Minimum Wage

The Santa Cruz City Council has voted unanimously to adopt a minimum wage of $11 per hour with benefits or $12 without benefits. The living wage ordinance—the highest in the nation—would initially cover only full-time employees of the city and for-profit employers with city contracts. City officials hope to eventually extend the minimum wage to […]

An Invitation to Share Your E-Pinion with a Few of Your Colleagues (About 155,000, Actually)

How many times have you had strong feelings about something in HR that you wanted to share with your colleagues? Well, here’s your chance to do it. If you’re a regular reader of this column, you know it’s usually written by BLR’s founder and CEO Bob Brady. Bob’s “e-pinions” have crisscrossed the wide world of […]

Why You Want Your Employees to Be Content Creators

In the modern age of the Internet and social media, employees are always accessing and sharing content, whether it’s about your organization or not. The average person spends a lot of time on the Internet and social media creating, reading, engaging with, or sharing content, so you should encourage your employees to be content creators for your organization. Continue reading to learn more […]

March: Women’s History Month

On March 8, 1857, women from New York City factories staged a protest over working conditions. In 1981, 124 years after that historic protest, Congress established National Women’s History Week to be commemorated the second week of March. In 1987, Congress expanded the week to a month. Here are some facts about American women from […]

FMLA Retaliation: Employment Action Must Cause Actual Harm, Court Rules

By Martin J. Regimbal, JD, The Kullman Firm In a recent decision, the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals (which covers Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas) addressed an employee’s claim of retaliation under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). The employee alleged a litany of purported adverse actions, but she provided no evidence that the […]