Tag: Employment law

Republican landslide alters legislative, regulatory landscape in 2015 and beyond

by Burton J. Fishman The sweeping Republican victory in the midterm election promises to have a significant impact on employment legislation and regulations in the next two years. Because of the number of Republican governors and Republican-dominated state legislatures now in place across the country, the most immediate impact may be at the state level […]

A face for radio? Employment law lessons from the Jian Ghomeshi scandal

By Kyla Stott-Jess Over the last month, the Canadian news media has devoted significant time to covering the Jian Ghomeshi scandal. Aside from the celebrity gossip factor, the story has had such staying power because it touches on so many controversial issues—BDSM (Bondage & Discipline / Domination & Submission / Sadism & Masochism), sexual consent, […]

EEOC actions spark employer wrath, scathing report from Senate panel

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)—long tasked with protecting workers from unfair treatment—is now coming under fire for what some claim is unfair treatment perpetrated by the agency itself. Republicans on the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions issued the Minority Staff Report  “EEOC: An Agency on the Wrong Track? Litigation Failures, Misfocused Priorities, […]

Accommodating service animals in the workplace

by Jodi R. Bohr In recent years, service animals have become the topic of much debate partly because of their expanded use and perceived abuse. If you are confronted with an accommodation request by an employee or a customer who needs a service animal while on you premises, you must handle the situation appropriately and […]

Ranking the high court

When football season kicked off earlier this year, I took the chance to glean some insights for HR professionals from the difficult job facing the new college football playoff selection committee. Now that we’re coming up on the end of the football season, I’m turning to the committee once more for inspiration. As I write, the […]

EEOC Roundup: Week Ending Nov. 28, 2014

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has settled four cases and filed yet another pregnancy discrimination case. A sheet metal contractor will pay $215,000 to settle a gender discrimination suit, an environmental remediation services contractor settled a class race and gender discrimination suit for $415,000 and a grocery wholesaler and manufacturer agreed to pay $735,000 […]

checklist

Things for which an HR manager should be thankful

by Richard Yurko The challenges facing HR managers can be daunting. Amendments to the law, new and changing federal and state administrative policies, and a diverse workforce all contribute to the difficulty of appropriately resolving employee issues. As we enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday, here are some things for which every HR manager should be thankful.  […]

Assessments can serve as compass for trek through HR wilderness

Busy human resources professionals can easily get caught up in the day-to-day and lose sight of the path they want to be on, but an assessment can guide the HR team out of the weeds and back on the road to reaching an organization’s goals. Lori Kleiman, a Chicago-based HR consultant, recently conducted a webinar […]

Workingjay

Inspired by The Hunger Games trilogy, some employers may feel the urge to pile the employees onto a bus, head off site, and pit coworker against coworker in some form of physical competition under the guise of “team building.” Savvy employers are always looking for new and better ways to motivate the troops, solidify relationships, and build […]