Month: May 2007

Employer Has Close Call in Discimination Case

by Tara Eberline The full Tenth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has overturned an earlier ruling by a three-member panel of the same court by ruling that an employee didn’t have enough evidence of national origin discrimination to submit his claims to a jury. The case, which has received national attention, arose after the employer […]

The Job

LITIGATION VALUE: $50,000 (with the potential for a whole lot more) So Creed has joined the millions of people blogging at (and about) work. I’d say that this could definitely cause trouble for Dunder Mifflin when Creed eventually learns how to post his musings on something more than a Microsoft Word document. Believe it or […]

Using Influence Properly (or How Al Gore Won His Oscar)

Just My E-pinion By Cathy Bolger Recently, former Vice President Al Gore found himself in the unlikely role of Hollywood celebrity, accepting an Oscar as producer of a documentary on global warming, titled An Inconvenient Truth. HR Management Trainer Cathy Bolger thinks she knows how Gore was able to gain so much acceptance … by […]

Employment Law Tip: Put It in Writing— Or Face the Consequences

Many employers cite employees for violations of “unwritten” company policies that are enforced but not clearly set out in an employee handbook or other well-publicized document. This can be a big mistake. Your supervisors may feel comfortable telling employees that “this is a long-standing unwritten rule” or “just the way things have always been done,” […]

Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) Abuse: 7 Ways to Fight It

Employers actually do have rights to protect themselves from abuse under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). Here’s a list. Since December, the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) has been under review, with employers and labor leaders differing on just what changes should be made. They have generally agreed on one point, however: […]

Wage and Hour: New FLSA Overtime Calculator

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division has unveiled a free, new Web-based tool to help employers and employees calculate overtime pay under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The tool provides examples of how FLSA overtime should be completed under some scenarios. The Overtime Calculator advisor computes overtime pay due in […]

A Simple Tool to Avoid Major HR Errors

In the heat of making an HR decision, are you sure you’ve considered all the key factors? Here’s a tool to help you do it. Anyone needing to conduct an investigation of workplace wrongdoing who read yesterday’s Advisor article on the subject should be grateful to Deborah J. Muller and Michael E. Ferrans. These two […]

Workplace Investigations: Don’t End Up as the Target!

You must investigate charges of crime, inappropriate behavior, or harassment in the workplace. Do it wrong, however, and your company may end up as the target. Here’s what two experts say about doing it right. It would be nice if everyone in business was honest, decent, and professional. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. Some employees […]