Month: April 2007

The Negotiation

Litigation Value: $350,000 Phew – finally a new episode! While any episode of The Office is a good one, it’s nice to have new material to discuss. As always, the gang at Dunder Mifflin did not disappoint with this week’s super-sized episode. Employers who fail to fire employees who tape pepper spray canisters, nunchucks, and […]

7 Leadership Lessons from World Series Baseball Champions

By HR Consultant and Sports Executive Skip Weisman As baseball season starts, our guest columnist explains how lessons learned by sports teams can help business organizations. He knows because he’s led both. With dreams of a World Series championship dancing in their heads, 30 major league teams have just begun the 2007 major league baseball […]

Computers: Ninth Circuit Reconsiders Computer Privacy Ruling; the Importance of Having a Monitoring Policy

Last year, the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which covers California, ruled that employees cannot expect privacy when using workplace computers if their employer has an electronic monitoring policy in place. But now, the Ninth Circuit has revisited that ruling—this time finding that the employee indeed had an expectation of privacy for the computer […]

Discrimination Lawsuits ‘Explode’ … and a Tool for Making Affirmative Action Plans Easier

After years of stagnation, antidiscrimination efforts are coming alive. Plus a tool for making Affirmative Action Plans more easily. Yesterday’s Daily Advisor explored the gaps that still remain to be filled in the American workplace before discrimination can be eliminated. Despite 40 years of legislation and litigation, recent studies show women are still not making […]

Employment Law Tip: Protecting Teens from Workplace Harassment

Do you employ teenage workers? If so, it’s important to take a look at what you can do to ensure young people are safe from workplace harassment and know how to report problems that do occur. Here are some tips from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on preventing harassment and discrimination involving young workers:

Sexual Harassment: McDonald’s Teen Employees Settle Lawsuit

GLC Restaurants, Inc., which operates McDonald’s restaurants in Arizona and California, has agreed to pay $550,000 to eight female teenage workers who were sexually harassed by a middle-aged male supervisor. The lawsuit, filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on behalf of the young workers, charged that the supervisor was a repeat offender who […]

Whistleblowers: Supreme Court Scales Back Whistleblower Rights

The U.S. Supreme Court has issued a new ruling that limits the right of whistleblowers to recover a slice of the damages paid by government contractors whose violations are exposed. Engineer James Stone filed a lawsuit under the Federal False Claims Act (FCA), charging Boeing Co. made false statements regarding safety and environmental issues at […]

Avoid the Hazards of E-Cruiting

Recruiting online is fast, easy, cheap, and even fun, but dangers lurk within. This article, and a special May 1 BLR audio conference, will teach you how to navigate around them. Have you done any e-cruiting lately? No, not recruiting. That’s old hat! E-cruiting. E-cruiting, of course, is the buzz word flying around HR these […]

Internet Background Checks: Hazardous to Your Wealth?

Employers who hire based on doing their own online background checks could be looking at wrong information … and trouble. You think you’ve finally found the right candidate for that important job opening. The resume read like a good book, and one with a happy ending. The interview left the hiring manager looking starstruck. Now […]