Tag: Employment law

Rethink HR: A changing world means new people practices

by Brad Federman It’s time to rethink HR. It’s actually way past due. Globalization, millennials entering the workforce, a shift to contract and part-time labor, an increase in diversity, technology that encourages networking, and open communications are just a few of the signs that illustrate the shift in the workplace. HR should be at the […]

Sing your own song

If you’re on the lookout for an easy laugh and a good time on television these days, you can certainly do much worse than Lip Sync Battle on Spike. If you haven’t seen it yet or run across the clips on YouTube, you really need to check it out.  Here’s the setup—each episode pits two […]

Last chance to draft your last chance agreement

by Mohamed Badreddine Last chance agreements—what are they? How do they work? As we have indicated before, an employer and employee agree that the employee may remain employed provided that he or she complies with specific conditions. If the employee later breaches the conditions, he or she is immediately dismissed.

Time for new grads, employers alike to fight off first-job blues

College seniors can be excused for looking anxiously at their calendars this time of year. The days are ticking away toward spring graduation, meaning the real world of adult responsibility awaits. But as excited as young adults are about their first foray into the professional world, the unknowns spark a barrage of scary questions: What […]

New workplace safety and environmental crime initiative will use cross-enforcement

by Cole Wist If an employer skimps on safety protections for its workers, will it also ignore environmental protections? The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) think so.  Tag-team approach The DOL and the DOJ are teaming up under a new Worker Endangerment Initiative to investigate and prosecute worker […]

harassment

What HR must do when customers harass employees

by Michele L. (Warnock) Brott What business doesn’t value its customers? After all, the customer is always right. The trouble is, customers are people, too, and people come with a variety of biases and bad behavior that can create issues for employers. In other words, racist, sexist, or discriminatory customers can present a liability problem […]

Working hard or working smart? Take a break to figure it out

It’s a rare boss who expects workers to spend hours constantly on task without taking the occasional 10- or 15-minute break to rest and recharge. But tell that to employees who, because of workplace culture or their own insecurities, think their careers will suffer if they’re not knocking themselves out every minute of the day. […]

Chris Rock’s #OscarsSoWhite monologue: Don’t try this at work

The glitz, glamour, and celebratory nature of last night’s Academy Awards were dimmed by the ongoing controversy about the total lack of racial diversity among Oscar contenders for the last two years. In response, Chris Rock delivered a scathing monologue criticizing the Academy and its members, the large majority of whom are white and male. […]

Court rules employees have obligation to give notice of resignation

by Stefan Kimpton Most Canadian employers know about their obligations to provide notice or payment instead of notice to employees when terminating their employment without cause. But what about employees? Do they also have to provide their employers with reasonable notice of their intention to quit their job? What happens if a key employee leaves […]

Why can’t we all be Googley?

by Vanessa L. Goddard What makes a business a good place to work? Those of you who do not unwind by watching YouTube or reading Wikipedia entries may be surprised to learn a little about Google as an employer. Remarkably, Google has unlimited sick leave—an unheard of, mind-boggling concept. Google has legal aid (ahem). The […]