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A federal appellate court may reconsider its views on “reassignment” as a reasonable accommodation under the Americans With Disabilities Act, at the request of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The EEOC takes the position that the ADA requires employers to reassign employees, whose disability prevents them from performing their current job, to a vacant position […]
Research shows that workers come on the job already motivated, and common business practices rob them of it. The researchers offer some tools to reverse this process. “Most companies have it all wrong. They don’t have to motivate their employees. They have to stop de-motivating them.” With this one attention-getting statement, three researchers recently demolished […]
It’s time to check with payroll to make absolutely sure that you are geared up for the change in the federal minimum wage. The second of three increases will take effect on Thursday (July 24, 2008). The impact on employers may vary depending on the state in which employees work. This Thursday, July 24, the […]
by Brian P. Smeenk Wal-Mart, which has until now apparently been union-free, has had a union contract imposed on it in Quebec. The contract covers an auto center, Tire & Lube Express, which is part of a store in Gatineau, near the Ontario border. The small group of about eight employees apparently received union certification […]
Several miners were fired after a video of them dancing in underground tunnels, some shirtless, came to the attention of the employer. Up to 15 workers at the Agnew gold mine in Gold Fields, Australia, have been terminated and banned for life from Barminco projects after they filmed themselves doing their own rendition of the […]
All employers are required to verify the employment eligibility of their employees by completing a federal Employment Eligibility Verification Form I-9 for each worker. Employers can use self-audits to verify that the employment eligibility documentation kept on file for their employees is accurate. Recent changes Effective April 3, 2009, the list of documents acceptable to […]
Credit reports can be a useful tool for screening job applicants, but using them recently became more complex. That’s because of several important changes to the federal Consumer Credit Reporting Reform Act that are effective September 30, 1997. If you violate these provisions or a similar state law, you can be sued for steep penalties, […]
Republicans in Congress have said they will support a budget increase for the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission—but there’s a catch. They’re demanding that the agency promise to stop using undercover “testers” who pose as job applicants for the sole purpose of scoping out whether your hiring practices are legal. The lawmakers also want to […]
According to a new California appeals court decision, holding a job open for a disabled employee who needs time to recuperate is a form of reasonable accommodation—where it appears likely the employee will be able to return to work at some time in the foreseeable future. But reasonable accommodation doesn’t require an employer to wait […]