Month: January 2012

Demotion Inappropriate Response to Poor Performance

By David T. McDonald “Cause” for termination is a difficult standard to meet in Canada. So what are your alternatives if you don’t have cause? Warning, suspension, demotion, transfer? In Haddock v. Thrifty Foods (2003) Limited and Quadcam Holdings Ltd., the British Columbia Supreme Court has recently said a demotion may not be a proper […]

Welcome Home, Soldier: Your Obligations to Returning Troops and Their Families

Most every employer can expect to welcome returning veterans. Obligations (legal and moral) are many, and there won’t be any sympathy for employers who fail to honor their responsibilities. There are two primary laws that will come to bear, the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA), the subject of this article, and Family […]

Some Friendly Advice

Litigation Value: Nada, Zero, Zilch. Interview Advice: Priceless. No “Office” last night, fellow Scrantonites! (Scrantonians?) I didn’t know what to do with myself all evening. And since we don’t have a new episode – or even a rerun – to discuss, I did what I do best and made a list. Top 10 Things NOT […]

Washington Could Be Seventh State to Allow Same-sex Marriage

Legislation is wending its way through both chambers of the Washington State legislature that if enacted would make Washington the seventh state where same-sex marriage is legal. It could happen: a sufficient number of Senators for passage in that chamber have said they would vote for it if it reaches the Senate floor, and Gov. […]

10 Dogooder Acts that Drive Good Salespeople to the Competition

Stevens is Vice President of R&D at Chally Group Worldwide, a global leadership, sales potential, and performance measurement firm. [Go here for Mistakes 1 to 6] MISTAKE 7: Being a Do-Gooder Since most sales managers enjoy influencing other people, they tend to pride themselves on improvements they see in their sales forces. They have a […]

Want to Discourage Your Best Salespeople? Here’s How

Even with the best of intentions, you can incentivize your best people to leave, says Stevens. Chally Group Worldwide is a global leadership, sales potential, and performance measurement firm. Here are Stevens’ top 10 mistakes in incentive contest design that drive the best salespeople away: MISTAKE 1: Trying to Keep Everybody Happy Poor performers needn’t […]

Allowing Gambling at Work: A Good Bet or Bad Odds?

By Celeste Blackburn Are your employees gambling at work? With the Super Bowl and NCAA basketball tournaments coming up, it’s almost a sure bet that at least some employees are gambling on sports during company time, using company equipment. Sometimes, employees don’t wait for major sporting event to gamble, instead betting on the Oscars, American […]

Novartis Agrees to Pay Drug Reps $99 Million to Settle Long-standing Overtime Dispute

The New Jersey drug manufacturer Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation has reached a $99 million settlement with its drug sales representatives. The agreement, announced jointly by management and plaintiff representatives Jan. 26, resolves overtime pay disputes pending since 2006. “We believe this settlement is in the best interest of our employees and the company,” said Novartis President […]

SM Background Checks—15% of HR, 100% of Hiring Managers

One expert suggests that 15 percent of HR departments are routinely doing social media background checks, but, astoundingly, 100 percent of hiring managers are. What’s up with that? We’ve talked about the advisability of doing social media background checks before. Briefly, the negative of doing such checks is that you’re guaranteed to find out things […]

EEOC Nets More than $100 Million in FY 2011 For Plaintiffs Alleging Disability Discrimination

It pays to stay off the  Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s enforcement radar. Employers paid more than $100 million in fiscal 2011 to resolve disability discrimination claims enforced by the civil rights agency, it’s annual annual statistical summary. Payouts to workers alleging violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act produced the highest increase in monetary relief […]