Month: October 2008

Election 2008 white paper, time off to vote state laws, sample policy

With the 2008 election in its final days, employers must brace for significant employment law changes. HRHero.com has produced a free white paper on 6 potential employment law changes under new leadership in Washington. The white paper also includes a chart of time off to vote laws taken from HR Hero’s 50 Employment Laws in […]

Office Masquerades as Good Employer

Cost of Trips: $800 Potential Exposure for Out-of-Office Accidents: $25,000 per employee Litigation value for Dunder Mifflin’s missteps: $0. This has to be some kind of record. For the fourth week in a row on The Office, we have a new episode in which no one at Dunder Mifflin did anything to put the company […]

Using Surveillance to Investigate Workers’ Suspicious FMLA Medical Claims

Employers face a real challenge in meeting client and customer needs when staff members take time off work under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) or ask for extensive disability accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). But what’s already a difficult situation can become downright aggravating when you have reason to believe […]

Staggering Economy Dragging Down Pay Raises

By BLR Founder and CEO Bob Brady Last week, BLR CEO Bob Brady asked you to take a quick survey to confirm anecdotal evidence that organizations are ratcheting back on pay raises planned for 2009. You did—and did you ever. The current economic turmoil appears to have claimed yet another victim—pay increases planned for 2009. […]

Is Your CEO Owed Overtime? ‘Yes,’ Says Expert

Is the CEO owed overtime? Absolutely, says attorney Phillip Russell. Every employee must be paid overtime unless he or she falls into one of the exemption classifications. While it is hard to imagine a non-exempt CEO, Russell was making the important point that job title alone does not determine whether an employee is exempt. Russell […]

Recognizing Richard Rabbit: A Fable about Being True to Yourself

Resources for Humans managing editor Celeste Blackburn reviews the book Recognizing Richard Rabbit: A Fable about Being True to Yourself by Peter Weddle. Review finds that while book may be useful in therapy setting, it doesn’t offer much for the HR professional. In Recognizing Richard Rabbit: A Fable About Being True to Yourself, Peter Weddle […]

California Supreme Court Will Review Brinker Meal and Rest Period Case; 4 Tips to Avoid Problems in the Meantime

The California Supreme Court has granted review of the recent Brinker Restaurant Corp. decision. In that case, a California appeals court ruled, among other things, that an employer’s obligation to “provide” meal and rest breaks means that the employer must make the break available and not impede, discourage, or dissuade employees from taking it. Employers, […]

New Cottage Industry– Small Wage and Hour Claims Against Your Company

There’s a new breed of plaintiff lawyer out there, says attorney Phillip Russell, and they are not looking for the companies with 1,000 employees—they’re happy to find 10 or 15 employees working off the clock or due unpaid overtime. Russell is a member of the Tampa, Florida, office of national employment law firm Constangy, Brooks […]

Canada’s Supreme Court Awards RBC Dominion $1.5 Million from Branch Manager Who Defected to Merrill Lynch

by Brian Smeenk On October 9, 2008, the Supreme Court of Canada released its decision in RBC Dominion Securities v. Merrill Lynch Canada. The court restored an award of approximately $1.5 million in damages against a branch manager who had coordinated the defection of almost all his branch’s sales group from RBC to Merrill Lynch. […]

Fairness—Not Legal Technicalities—Counts with Employees … and Juries

Lawyers like to talk about picky legal points, says attorney Jeffrey Wortman, but the real bottom line for most legal cases is fairness. Juries—and sometimes judges—are more likely to make a decision based on fair treatment than on legal treatment. It isn’t only in court that you reap the benefits of fairness, Wortman notes. It’s […]