Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
by Kelly Boehner We often hear that women earn approximately 77 cents for every dollar men earn. That statistic comes from data in the 2010 American Community Survey, an annual survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. The statistic means that if you calculate the median annual income for all men and women who work […]
by Steven T. Collis Recent news stories describe the tension between Muslim workers seeking multiple prayer breaks at specified times throughout their workday and employers that need those workers on the assembly line. Many Muslim employees have walked off the job, claiming their prayer break requests have been unlawfully denied. With so much coverage of […]
by Lynn M. Mueller According to the 8th Circuit, three officials of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department who were seeking a diverse workforce violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 when they rejected a white male sergeant in favor of a black female sergeant for a transfer to an equivalent position […]
Researchers report that the millennial generation now makes up the largest share of the U.S. workforce. To be sure, the baby boomer and Generation X contingents remain strong, but the sheer number of younger workers makes them a force to be reckoned with. Longtime workers may think their young colleagues have a lot to learn, […]
by Holly K. Jones, J.D. Picture it—it’s a Friday afternoon at the end of a very long week, and just as you are about to sneak out early for the weekend, one of your employees walks into your office wearing a camouflage trucker hat emblazoned with the words “Make America Great Again.” Oh perfect, you […]
by Monna Lea Bryant, Robert Sniffen, and Jeff Slanker Retailers and businesses may soon need to begin preparing for a new public accommodations issue related to an altogether different kind of access barrier: websites. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is developing a plan to amend Titles II and III of the Americans with Disabilities […]
by Michelle Dougherty With the recent emphasis on the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA) regarding employers’ affirmative duties to pregnant employees, it is important for employers to remember that they also have obligations when employees return to work after childbirth. Specifically, under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and the Affordable Care Act (ACA), employers have […]
by Emily Hobbs-Wright A Turkish-born Muslim teacher claimed that her school had a culture of racial and ethnic hostility. The U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals (whose decisions apply to Colorado employers) recently ruled that her complaints of national origin discrimination may move forward. This case offers several lessons on how to handle cultural differences […]
Efforts to create more diverse workplaces have landed on many employers’ radar screens in recent years. The tech industry, notably, has been exposed as being overwhelmingly male and white, leading some of those influential employers to do some soul searching. They and employers in an array of other fields have devised programs resulting in improvement, […]
by Gesina (Ena) M. Seiler The concept of equal pay for equal work is receiving attention from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), President Barack Obama, and the 2016 candidates for president. That means there’s no better time than the present for a review of what “equal pay” does and doesn’t mean, recent amendments to […]