Month: April 2006

EEOC Issues New Guidance on Race and Color Discrimination

Despite big advances since the Civil Rights Era, problems of race discrimination in employment persist. In 2005, racial bias continued to be the most frequently alleged type of discrimination under federal law, accounting for 35.5 percent of charges received by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

California High Court Dismisses “Friends” Harassment Suit

The California Supreme Court has ruled 7-0 that sexually coarse and vulgar language used in meetings by writers developing scripts for the hit television sitcom “Friends” didn’t create a hostile work environment for a writers’ assistant on the show. According to the court, most of the objectionable language and conduct wasn’t aimed at the assistant, […]

Are Your Employees Dressed for Work or the Beach

Are Your Employees Dressed for Work or the Beach?

by Jeff Nolan There were times over the past few weeks when I might have been tempted to show up for work wearing shorts and a T-shirt, but fortunately, that temptation was quashed by our firm’s “personal appearance” policy! Does summer weather encourage some employees to push the limits in your workplace? Do you have […]

The Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) and alcohol and drug testing in the workplace: When to do it… when you have to stop

While some employers may regard alcohol and drug addiction as self-control issues, the Americans With Disabilities Act emphatically does not. Both addictions are qualified disabilities under ADA. Those who suffer from them are consequently protected against discriminatory behavior by employers. The Americans With Disabilities Act, requires that you offer equal employment opportunity to rehabilitated alcoholics […]

Improving hiring and retention in entry-level jobs

To fill those entry-level jobs, offer an atmosphere of respect and opportunity, and get to know the communities from which you want to hire. It’s natural that an organization be nervous about the loss of a key executive. But what really terrifies many these days is having their entry-level people leave. In today’s service economy, […]

Is your company’s compensation plan shortsighted?

These days, employers need to put their compensation plan through the same thorough analysis as their capital spending, pricing and other elements of strategic planning Senior managers who think a compensation plan just salary and benefits, and don’t let their HR professionals view the plan in a wider way, may be shorting themselves by ignoring […]

H-2B Visa Cap Reached for 2006

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that the cap has been reached for H-2B work visas for the final six months of 2006. The H-2B visa program allows employers to request foreign workers to fill a one-time, peak-load, intermittent, or seasonal need for labor when no workers are available in the local […]

DOL Nixes Salary Deductions When Exempt Worker Damages Equipment

If an exempt employee damages or loses company-issued equipment, and you decide to dock the person’s salary to pay for the loss, you risk the employee’s exempt status. That’s the conclusion of a new opinion letter from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). The opinion was requested by an employer that issues cell phones and […]