Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
Human resources professionals spend a lot of time working to create a respectful work environment. Much of that effort is necessary to stay in compliance with antidiscrimination and other workplace laws, but a true focus on ethics goes beyond legal compliance. Susan Alevas, an attorney, management consultant, and president of Alevas Consulting Group, Inc., recently […]
By Kyla Stott-Jess A recent Alberta court decision indicates that health problems arising from systemic harassment in the workplace can be covered by workers’ compensation (WCB) insurance. This decision may have ramifications across Canada.
An automatic termination policy for employees taking more than 12 months of consecutive leave limits the ability of qualified individuals with a disability to return to work and may act as a “qualification standard” that violates the Americans with Disabilities Act, a federal district court has ruled. The ruling by the U.S. District Court for […]
Although Downton Abbey focuses on the upstairs/downstairs dynamics of the fictional aristocratic Crawley family and their staff, there are still some lessons that contemporary employers may take from the show. For instance, in a recent episode, the staff dealt with the sudden resignation of second footman Alfred, as he was accepted into the Ritz cooking […]
by Joseph Godwin Many employers rely heavily on “at-will employment” to terminate unsatisfactory employees. In theory, if at-will employment applies, you can fire a worker at will, which means for a good reason, a bad reason, or no reason at all. However, if a termination decision is challenged, it can be difficult to show that […]
The hiring process has a way of creating a lot of paperwork. A single job opening can bring a flood of resumes, cover letters, and applications from a horde of hopefuls. Once the decision has been made, the question becomes what to do with the pile of documents the hiring process generates. Recently, a group […]
By Louise Béchamp Many employers’ policies preclude them from providing reference letters. Other employers have no policies. And yet others have policies but do not consistently apply them. The Court of Appeal of Québec’s recent decision in Arsenault (Succession de) v. École Sacré-Cœur de Montréal (available in French only) should give Canadian employers pause for […]
Although sponsors of group health plans have had their hands full sorting through the still-changing Affordable Care Act requirements, the recent uproar involving AOL CEO Tim Armstrong is a stark reminder of the need to stay vigilant on HIPAA privacy — even as companies wrestle publicly with health care costs. As has been widely reported, […]
by Jasmin Rojas Roses are red Violets are blue, Cupid’s arrow at work May snag a lawsuit for you. It’s February, the month of romance. Love (and perhaps a plethora of pheromones) permeates the air. No doubt that greeting cards and jewelry commercials contribute to a love sick contagion during this month. Guess what? Your […]
You don’t have to try very hard these days to find employment law references in pop culture. Movies and TV shows examine issues of employment discrimination, politicians seem unable to resist the urge to text photos of their private parts to their disgusted subordinates, and professional athletes provide ample fodder for lawyers in desperate search […]