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California Supreme Court Issues Meal and Rest Break Ruling

By Mark I. Schickman California employers have been waiting since October 2008 for the California Supreme Court to issue its ruling in the Brinker Restaurant case, clarifying whether employers must “ensure” that employees take meal and rest breaks or simply “provide” those breaks. Today, the court unanimously served up a major victory to California employers […]

Sexual Harassment By Supervisors: New EEOC Guidelines On Employer Liability

The federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has released new guidelines interpreting and expanding on last year’s Supreme Court rulings on automatic employer liability for sexual harassment by supervisors. The new guidelines are a helpful benchmark for measuring whether your anti-harassment policies and practices make the grade.

Holidays PTO Survey: Earned Sick Leave Lost

Is earned sick leave lost if not used within a specified period of time?   Response Percent Response Count Yes 49.0% 265 No 51.0% 276 Thanks to all who participated in the survey! If you would like a copy of the detailed results, broken out by organization size, organization type, and geographical region, click here. […]

‘Victory’ in Court Is Always a Little Bitter

In employment law cases, “Victory in court is always a little bitter when the costs of achieving it are factored in,” says attorney Russell Adler. He was referring in particular to the potential dangers of giving references. Adler, who practices labor and employment law at WolfBlock, made his remarks on workforce.com. His advice: “Stay out […]

Michigan Indoor-Smoking Ban Takes Effect Saturday

Effective May 1, 2010, smoking will be prohibited in most Michigan workplaces, restaurants, and bars. The law, known as the “Dr. Ron Davis Law,” was signed by Governor Jennifer Granholm on December 18, 2009, and bans smoking indoors in Michigan “public places.” Under the law, “public places” are defined to include most places of employment, […]

The Connection Between Resilience and Positive Business Outcomes

Today’s employers are challenged to provide competitive wellness programs that not only support the wellbeing of their employees, but also improve the bottom line. As resilience building and mindfulness training programs continue to gain momentum in the workplace, meQuilibrium—a digital coaching platform—conducted a study to measure resilience against industry-standard psychological metrics and desired business outcomes.

Change at the White House: What About the Workplace?

It’s going to be quite a week. Today, of course, is the national holiday that celebrates the birth of the legendary civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Tomorrow, the nation and the world will witness history in the making as the first African-American is sworn in as President of the United States. Looking […]

Train Supervisors: ‘You’re Going to Be Talked About on Social Media’

In yesterday’s Advisor, Employers Counsel Network attorneys briefed readers on new NLRB developments; today, their take on social networking, plus an introduction to the HR audit system that makes sure supervisors and managers are following policy. A common thread in social media cases is that the supervisors have overreacted, says attorney Molly DiBianca. Supervisors aren’t […]

Courts, Colds, and the FMLA

In yesterday’s Advisor, attorney Susan Schoenfeld briefed readers on the issue of colds, flu, and the FMLA. Today, what the courts have to say, plus a solution that may eliminate the problem—a corporate wellness program What the Courts Say At least two federal appeals courts have weighed in on the issue of flus and colds […]