Month: November 2012

I hate surprises!

I’m not very big on surprises. Years ago, for my 40th birthday, my wife threw me a surprise party. A lot of thought and planning went into it. Friends and family flew in from across the country.     I had no clue what she was up to, so when I walked in the back […]

Guess Who Got Super Fed Up with His Job(s)!

It takes super nerve to quit a job in these challenging times. But, hey, when you have two jobs, it might seem easier to stand by your principles and resign.  That’s what Clark Kent seems to think in the latest issue of DC Comics’ Superman. The Man of Steel is appalled by “how journalism has […]

Michigan Firm Wins Reprieve From Contraceptive Mandate

In other legal action over health reform’s inclusion of reproductive services as mandated benefits, one company blocked the government from forcing it to include contraception coverage in its health plan coverage. The injunction in Legatus v. Sebelius, 2012 WL 5359630 (E.D. Mich., Oct. 31, 2012) was at the request of Weingartz Supply, a for-profit outdoor […]

Feds Won’t Block Liberty U.’s Challenge to Reform Law

Religious objections to the health reform law are continuing in the courts, with the reemergence of a constitutional challenge to the reform law (the second such challenge that might reach the U.S. Supreme Court). Gov’t Drops Opposition In this brief, the Obama administration told the U.S. Supreme Court it will not try to block Liberty […]

Workers’ Compensation: Tips for Protection from Retaliation Claims

How can employers protect themselves and reduce the likelihood of retaliation claims when disciplining or terminating an employee who has previously filed a workers’ compensation claim? If a claim of retaliation is feared, what evidence will help prove the employer acted legally? Avoiding Retaliation Claims: Tips When Terminating a Prior Workers’ Compensation Claimant Most employers […]

Providing Accommodations with the Assistance of Job Descriptions

Do you use job descriptions when deciding on what accommodation – if any – can be offered to an employee with a disability? To meet your ADA requirements, it’s important to use the interactive process outlined in ADA regulations and to use job descriptions as an essential part of the process. ADA Requirements: What Accommodation […]

Best Practice for Internet Background Checks? Survey Says…

In yesterday’s Advisor, we presented the results of the Monster/BLR Survey of Recruiting Best Practices. Today, the survey’s data around social media and Google background checks, plus an introduction to our ready-to-go digital collection of 350 HR policies. Of the survey respondents who conducted either Google searches or social media searches: Concerned about learning too […]

DesperateHousewives Star’s Wrongful Termination Case has Implications for Employers

A still-unfolding Hollywood squabble has a few lessons on how to end employment relationships. Actress sues over nonrenewal Touchstone Television Productions hired Nicollette Sheridan to appear in the first season of Desperate Housewives. Its contract gave Touchstone the exclusive option to renew her services each year for an additional six seasons. On exercising its renewal […]

Current Legal Trends Affecting Job Descriptions: ADA, FMLA, and Workers’ Comp

“Job descriptions have a place in so many aspects of workplace law,” Charlie Plumb advised in a recent BLR webinar. Meeting ADA requirements is often top-of-mind since the accommodation process starts with outlining the essential functions of the job, but job descriptions are also impacted by other employment laws, like the Family and Medical Leave […]

3 Benefits of a Job Rotation Program

Why should you implement a job rotation program? What results will you have? Perhaps you’re trying to implement a job rotation program and need management buy-in—how does such a program fit into your overall HR strategy? Job rotation programs can impact an organization in a number of ways. Some of the biggest benefits come from […]