Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
In a new approach to dealing with leaks of trade secrets, a court barred a high-tech employee from performing any work in his field for two years after he allegedly disclosed confidential documents to a competitor during a job interview. The case involved David Allouche, who worked for National Semiconductor Corporation in Silicon Valley. Allouche […]
An employee who was discovered playing golf while collecting workers’ compensation payments has pleaded no contest to insurance fraud and could face jail time. William LaForge, who was just a few months away from retirement, injured his back when he fell on the steps outside the Daly City high school where he had been an […]
Senator Edward Kennedy (D-Mass) has laid out a series of labor proposals for the coming year. They include expanding the federal family leave law to cover employers with as few as 10 workers; requiring employers to contribute to the cost of health insurance for employees and their families; and increasing the federal minimum wage by […]
Suppose your business has taken a downturn and you decide to implement a reduction in force. Can you lay off a person whose work performance has slipped due to a condition that is covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)? A new federal Court of Appeal opinion says yes, and the ruling also has […]
An employee who is being sexually harassed may want to keep matters private because of embarrassment or fear of retribution. She might complain to you, but refuse to reveal names or ask that you not disclose anything she told you. Or you might hear about the harassment from a concerned co-worker because the victim doesn’t […]
Over the past several years, employers have increasingly turned to staffing firms such as temporary agencies and employee leasing companies to supply workers. And according to the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), many of these so-called ‘contingent’ workers are female and/or minorities. Employers often mistakenly assume that because temps or other contract workers aren’t […]
Discrimination claims continue to be a very real and expensive problem. One way employers are trying to combat workplace bias is by implementing diversity programs. Although the programs aren’t new, many employers are unaware of the serious hidden legal risks involved with diversity training. In one alarming case, Lucky Stores Inc. ended up paying out […]
Habitually absent or late employees can cause big headaches, leading you to discipline or even terminate those who don’t improve. But an employer who fired a worker with peptic ulcers for poor attendance recently learned the importance of using caution before discharging someone who might be covered by the family leave laws.
It was an employer’s worst nightmare come true. A manager fired for sexual harassment turned around and sued for wrongful termination and won $1.7 million in damages. But now, the same case has ended as a significant victory for employers who face charges they fired someone based on untrue allegations.
If someone requests a leave of absence because of pregnancy or serious illness, you probably know the federal and state laws that apply. But you may not be aware that there are a host of other rules allowing employees to take leave in other situations-such as going into drug rehab, taking an adult literacy class […]