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Height And Weight Discrimination: San Francisco Ordinance Takes Effect

The proposed San Francisco ordinance protecting applicants and employees from discrimination based on weight and height, which we recently covered, has been formally approved and is now in effect. The law applies to every employer in the city with six or more workers. It also covers all employers—no matter where they’re located—who have contracts with […]

EntertainHR: AI in Hollywood – Inspiring Imagination or Threatening Writers?

Almost 2 months in, the writers’ strike in Hollywood shows no signs of ending soon. Members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) are seeking a guarantee that studios won’t use artificial intelligence (AI) to write or rewrite scripts, among other proposals. To date, studios and networks represented by the Alliance of Motion Picture and […]

ADA Implementation: Common Misconceptions

We recently looked at some issues that arise when the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and leave laws overlap (see ADA Leave Issues: Attendance Bonuses, COBRA, and More). Today, we’ll address some common misconceptions about the law.

Crystal Ball—HR Trends and Traps 2014

We had dramatic changes in HR in 2013 and that’s going to continue, says attorney Mark Schickman of Freeland Cooper & Forman LLP in San Francisco. However, he points out, quoting Sir Winston Churchill, “To improve is to change. To be perfect is to change often.” What Are the Big Changes for the 21st Century? […]

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5th Circuit Assures Employer That Some Good Deeds Do Go Unpunished

Although disability-based harassment/hostile work environment claims have been recognized by the courts for a while, they aren’t very common. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit—which covers Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas—recently rejected an employee’s claim of disability-based harassment under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), finding her employer’s good-faith efforts to engage in […]

Talking Politics: Know When Employee Political Speech Is Protected at Work

With this year’s presidential election underway, escaping coverage and conversations about candidates and campaigns seems nearly impossible. While there’s nothing new about political coverage increasing during an election year, the unprecedented events during this year’s election cycle along with the extreme polarization of modern-day politics in America have led to increased levels of passionate discourse […]

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Pay Implications of Government Shutdowns

With government shutdowns periodically looming, hundreds of thousands of federal employees face losing work time and pay. When Congress fails to appropriate funds during the budget process, nonessential federal programs and agencies close and many workers are furloughed. In such a situation, there are a number of different pay scenarios and categories of employees.

The Growing Appeal of Video and Interactive Employee Training

Remember the old days of dozing off during slide after slide in a stuffy conference room? Those days are fading fast. Now, businesses are getting smart about how we learn at work, bringing in video and interactive training to spice things up. It’s not just a new way to learn—it’s turning the whole learning game […]