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FMLA

Consequences for Failure to Recertify

An employee had to recertify his qualifying condition because of an established pattern of potential Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) misuse, but he failed to cooperate with the recertification process and didn’t provide the requested information. If he seeks FMLA protection for future absences, should we deny the request, or are we required to […]

Decades After Lilly Ledbetter’s Fight for Equal Pay, Disparities Still Exist

Lilly Ledbetter, an unintentional icon in the fight for equal pay, passed away on October 12, 2024, at the age of 86. Ledbetter filed a lawsuit in 1999 that sparked an equal pay movement throughout the United States. More than 25 years later, pay disparities still exist in every state. Over the years, Massachusetts has […]

A Surprising RTO Advocate: Zoom

It’s easy to look at the widespread and COVID-driven shift to remote work and the subsequent, post-COVID return-to-office (RTO) efforts by employers as a battle with clear divisions among key stakeholders. Employers want the perceived boost in productivity and greater collaboration that comes with on-site work. Employees want the flexibility and freedom that comes with […]

Perhaps Silicon Valley’s Pied Piper Could Use Good Employment Counsel

I am currently bingeing my way through HBO’s Silicon Valley after not having watched the show for several years (I’ve always found it entertaining enough, but life, you know?). The series chronicles the experiences of a small group of California techies who found a start-up company called Pied Piper.

Understanding the Definition of Burnout

Everyone in the working world has probably heard the term “burned out.” The term is often used even in nonemployment settings, such as by students in higher education feeling burned out by intense studies. Being burned out is generally considered negative, but there isn’t really a precise definition of the term. Defining Burnout “We tend […]

Get Your Team Physically Active Virtually

Of all the impacts a massive shift to remote work has had on employees and workplace culture, physical activity probably doesn’t top the list in most people’s minds; but there can be noticeable changes in an employee’s productivity, engagement and overall mental state based on changes in their level of activity, and while reducing the […]

#MeToo Message Received: Congress Nixes Arbitration Clauses

Viewed as a risk mitigation tool, arbitration clauses are included in employment contracts and policies to route employer/employee disputes to a private forum and outside of the courthouse. Employers are attracted to such clauses because they are believed to be cost-effective and a confidential resolution of claims. As part of the #MeToo movement, however, such […]

Guns at Work: Keeping Employees Safe in Troubling Times

Every year, nearly two million American workers report being workplace violence victims, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). In fact, homicide is the fifth-leading cause of workplace fatalities in the United States, accounting for eight percent of all fatal on-the-job injuries. Nearly half of all states, however, now have laws in some […]

The role of leadership in creating transgender-inclusive workplaces

by Dr. Jamison Green Corporate leaders agree that diverse and inclusive workplaces are more productive, versatile, and adaptive in a changing marketplace. But often, when managers think of gender diversity, they think only about gender parity between men and women, or about opening traditionally male occupations to women, or vice versa. Creating a transgender-inclusive workplace […]