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To Tell the Truth: Falsehood Dooms Lawsuit

The law requires that both sides to a lawsuit play fair. When that’s not the case, the side playing fast and loose with the rules gets punished. For a recent prime example, read on. Deposition Falsehood! After Daniel’la Deering was fired from her job as an in-house lawyer for Lockheed Martin, she sued for unlawful […]

Encouraging Employees to Play a Role in Sustainability is Good Business

Sustainability is a core part of the business model for Restaurant Technologies, a company that recycles used restaurant cooking oil for more than 45,000 restaurant chains, independent restaurants, grocers, hotels, casinos, universities, and hospitals across the U.S. Last year, our work led to over 314 million pounds of used cooking oil no longer going into […]

SCOTUS Order Signals It May Invalidate Some EEOC Harassment Guidelines

In August, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld an injunction to the Department of Education’s recently issued rule implementing Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. Title IX prohibits sex-based discrimination in any school or any other education program that receives funding from the federal government. This order—coupled with its decision overruling Chevron deference—signals the […]

The Power of Pivoting: Karyn Twaronite’s Journey as EY’s Global DE&I Leader 

Karyn Twaronite’s career at Ernst & Young (EY) has evolved from tax specialist to global leader in diversity, equity, and inclusiveness (DE&I). A certified public accountant by training, Twaronite’s journey into DE&I has allowed her to drive meaningful change within one of the world’s largest multidisciplinary professional services firms. As she puts it, “Diversity isn’t […]

Mayfield Ruling Highlights Overtime Exemption Pitfalls: What HR Needs to Know 

Understanding overtime exemptions under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) can be one of the more challenging responsibilities HR professionals face. The complexity of exempt classifications—particularly for executive, administrative, and professional employees—requires diligence, especially as roles and salary thresholds evolve. On September 11, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals’ ruling in Mayfield v. U.S. Department […]

Employers Challenge Constitutionality of DOL Administrative Law Judges

When the Supreme Court decided SEC v. Jarkesy, it only decided one of the issues in the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals decision. As we noted in “NLRB’s Administrative Law Judges Face Existential Challenges,” the 5th Circuit in Jarkesy also ruled that the Securities and Exchanges Commission’s (SEC) administrative law judges (ALJs) were unconstitutionally […]

Is Feedback Working for You?

To maintain or improve organizational performance, business leaders often reach for feedback. But feedback is a word and a practice that often inspires anxiety, frustration, and confusion. Instead of feedback being used effectively to highlight possibilities, in many teams it’s a practice that happens a few times a year and people try to ‘get through’ […]

HR Working to Change Its Corporate Image

HR often gets a bad rap within organizations. Or at least a neutral/lukewarm rap. Most people don’t directly interact with HR staff on a day-to-day basis, and their impression of that function is based on a handful of touchpoints during events like onboarding, open enrollment and performance reviews. This sometimes creates an impression of a […]

Ask the Expert: Would It Be Noncompliant to Require Employees to Work Both the Day Before and the Day After a Holiday to Receive Holiday Pay?

Question: Would it be noncompliant to require employees to work both the day before and the day after a holiday to receive holiday pay? Also, would it break any pay laws not to provide holiday pay to an employee who calls out sick before a holiday? Answer: Although holiday pay is a common benefit employers provide, […]