Category: HR Management & Compliance

There are dozens of details to take care of in the day-to-day operation of your department and your company. We give you case studies, news updates, best practices and training tips that keep your organization fully in compliance with ever-changing employment law, and you fully aware of emerging HR trends.

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Showing Favoritism to Paramour Isn’t Unlawful Sex Bias Under Title VII

Although supervisory favoritism toward a paramour may be unfair and ill-advised, it isn’t illegal sex discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, according to the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals (whose rulings apply to all Washington employers). Facts William Maner worked in a medical research laboratory operated by Dignity Health […]

Vaccine Passports: Privacy Risks, Implementation Problems

Since the onset of the pandemic, the concept of COVID-19 “passports” has been a recurring and controversial component in the process of reopening the economy. While it has become perhaps commonplace in the hospitality industry, proving vaccination status may soon be a de facto requirement for millions more U.S. workers—not just those working in customer-facing […]

Technology Run Amok: Client Left Holding Bag After Key E-Mail Sits in Lawyer’s Junk Folder

Well, the headline might be a bit dramatic, but it illuminates an important point. Namely, technology must be used in conjunction with good judgment and common sense, not as a stand-alone panacea. Lawsuit Filed, or Was It? Kevin Rollins, a Home Depot employee, injured himself while moving a bathtub for his employer. He filed a […]

New NLRB General Counsel Identifies Possible Changes

Those of you who have watched the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)—the nation’s primary enforcer of labor law—over the years no doubt expect it to reshuffle its priorities when the White House changes parties. The Board swore in Jennifer Abruzzo as its new general counsel (GC) on July 22, 2021, and three weeks later, she […]

Shaping the Future of HR: How Businesses Can Invest in Timekeeping Technology to Evaluate Workplace Productivity and Streamline Day-to-Day Operations

COVID-19 changed the way businesses in every industry operate, leaving many companies to grapple with the challenges and lessons learned over the past year. Now, as the country stands on the precipice of life after the pandemic, HR representatives are adopting emerging technologies to overhaul daily business operations as they turn to the next phase […]

Employers Need to Be Ready for New Heat Measures From OSHA

The season may have changed to fall, but the punishing summer heat can be expected to linger longer in many places around the country. Plus, indoor workplaces often pose heat risks year-round. That’s why the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has announced new measures aimed at reducing heat dangers in workplaces. NEP and […]

Lack of Documentation Hinders Employer’s Ability to Deal With Suspected FMLA Abuse

On August 6, 2021, the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey denied requests by both an employer and an employee to resolve a dispute over abuse of leave under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and the New Jersey Family Leave Act (NJFLA), which both give eligible employees job-protected time […]

Rethinking Employee Perspectives on Remote Work

One of the silver linings of the COVID-19 pandemic has been the shift to remote work—and companies’ realization that remote work hasn’t caused the sky to fall. Productivity hasn’t plummeted, but many costs associated with maintaining a physical office preference have. Pandemic Presents Opportunity to Experiment Writing for BBC Worklife, Bryan Lufkin notes that companies […]

From Basic to Best-In-Class: How to Create Great Workplace Lactation Facilities

As we move toward sharing space at work again, employers often ask us: how can we support our baby-feeding employees? The answer: employers who establish breastfeeding-supportive climates offer comprehensive plans that include policy, procedure, culture of belonging, access to experts, encouragement, community and facilities. In this piece, we’ll examine facilities and identify ways to elevate […]

One Strike and You’re ‘Out’

Citing the employer’s zero-tolerance “no-call, no-show” policy, an Ohio federal district court recently upheld the termination of an employee who had just returned from a leave of absence under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). Facts University Manor staffs and runs a nursing facility in Cleveland, Ohio. It provides respite, short-term, long-term, and hospice […]