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by Mark I Schickman “Google” has already become a popular verb, meaning to research a name through Internet sources. The word is about to get a secondary meaning: “to provide wall-to-wall perks to company employees.” Largely because of those broad and unusual employee benefits, Google has taken a lock on the top slot on Fortune […]
by Scott Holt and Margaret DiBianca For some employees, the weekend starts early, say Wednesday or Thursday, with shorts, jeans, T-shirts, tank tops, and other very casual attire in the office. Revealing clothes, in turn, disclose body piercings and tattoos — things you may prefer to keep covered up. If your employees are coming to […]
by Amy M. McLaughlin The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) require certain employers to submit an EEO-1 report to provide specific demographic information about their workforce. The EEO-1 report has been revised, and beginning in September 2007, you’ll be required to use […]
by Boyd Byers Every office has at least one. The guy who stockpiles Star Wars action figures in his cubicle. Or the gal with the Hello Kitty screen saver who jams to the same music as her teenage daughter. Twenty years ago, they would have been considered immature and unprofessional. Today, they’re more likely to […]
Employers all know the importance of investigating allegations of misconduct, discrimination, and harassment in the workplace. But even so, that practice sometimes falls by the wayside when times get busy. Here’s a look at a recent Tenth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision on workplace investigations. Workplace Investigations: The HR Manager’s Step-by-Step Guide Making mischief […]
by Susan W. Kline With winter weather upon us, including snowy and icy road conditions, employers are faced with the prospect of lost time when employees can’t or don’t report to work because of inclement weather. Not only do absences due to bad weather reduce productivity, but they also raise a number of issues about […]
by Albert L. Vreeland Recently, your job as Shepherd of All Things Employment became a lot more complicated (and legally risky) — for reasons you may not even be aware of. On December 1, 2006, the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure were amended to include specific provisions for handling electronically stored information. That may sound […]
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has recently decided two more “supervisor” cases under its new standard. The decisions are in addition to one the Board recently issued that shed some light on the often murky question of which employees are considered supervisors rather than “lead employees” under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). That […]
In one of Justice Samuel Alito’s last opinions for the Third U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia before joining the U.S. Supreme Court, he provided us with a view of his reasoning process with respect to employment discrimination claims. He authored an opinion in a case involving retaliation and hostile work environment claims. The […]
by Jeff Nolan There were times over the past few weeks when I might have been tempted to show up for work wearing shorts and a T-shirt, but fortunately, that temptation was quashed by our firm’s “personal appearance” policy! Does summer weather encourage some employees to push the limits in your workplace? Do you have […]