Month: August 2010

Which of Your Employees Is About to Pull a "Steven Slater"?

By Stephen D. Bruce, PHR Editor, HR Daily Advisor Just My E-pinion Steven Slater is the Jet Blue employee who “lost it,” deployed the emergency chute, grabbed two beers, and split. There’s a surprising level of empathy for Slater among workers across the country, many of whom said they are so stressed out that they […]

Wal-Mart Asks Supreme Court to Review Huge Class Action

By Nancy Williams Last April, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals gave the green light to a nationwide sex discrimination class action against Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., the nation’s largest employer. Unwilling to permit the suit to proceed without a further challenge, Wal-Mart has now petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to revisit the class certification […]

Depressed, Discriminated Against, and Out on FMLA

In yesterday’s Advisor, we featured attorney Jonathan A. Segal’s take on the most common mistakes in discipline and termination. Today, more of his practical advice, and an introduction to a unique training system that will help all your supervisors and managers avoid lawsuits Segal, a partner in the Philadelphia office of law firm Duane Morris, […]

The CA Specials: Travel Time, Tools, Uniforms, Stubs

“In the US, nearly 13 lawsuits are filed every minute, and sometimes it seems as if most of them are in California,” says attorney Christopher C. Hoffman. Some special California rules that confuse HR managers are those around travel pay, deductions for tools, required uniforms, and pay stubs.

Not Legally Required, But Legally Recommended

C-Suite types will say, “I don’t need a reason to fire.” You have to talk to them, says Jonathan A. Segal, Esq., and explain about “legally required” and “legally recommended.” Don’t tell the CEO who wants to terminate without documentation, “You can’t terminate.” Say, “If there is a legitimate non-discriminatory reason for this termination, you […]

Canada’s Rocky Economy Leads to Legal Refinements in Employment Benefit Law

By Bill Duvall As the prognosis for Canada’s economy remains uncertain, the Canadian court system continues to churn out employment cases arising from distressed employers. On this front, two recent cases are of interest. In the first, an Ontario court concludes that employees may not be entitled to statutory severance pay when they are provided […]

Encouraging Employees to Leave When There’s Nothing in the File

Terminations, and “requests” for resignation are delicate moments for all HR managers. Expert Paul Falcone offers advice about how to handle these tricky questions, and we introduce an all-answers-in-one-place HR website. Falcone, a prolific writer on HR topics and a popular speaker, is VP, Employee Relations, at Time Warner Cable in Los Angeles. He is […]

Hot List: Wall Street Journal’s Bestselling Hardcover Business Books

The following is a list of the bestselling hardcover business books as ranked by the Wall Street Journal with data from Nielsen BookScan on August 23. 1. StrengthsFinder 2.0: A New and Upgraded Edition of the Online Test from Gallup’s Now, Discover Your Strengths by Tom Rath. Are you unsure where your true talents lie? […]

SHRM Conference Special: Supervisors Avoid Tough Conversations—Unless You Give Script

Managers and supervisors will go to great lengths to avoid tough conversations with employees. Unfortunately, avoidance isn’t the best approach. So give your supervisors and managers scripts to follow, says Paul Falcone. Falcone, a prolific writer on HR topics and a popular speaker, is VP, Employee Relations, at Time Warner Cable in Los Angeles. He […]