Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
by Mark I. Schickman For the past month, the most interesting show in San Francisco has been the trial of Ellen Pao’s sexual harassment and sex discrimination case against investment firm Kleiner Perkins. Pao, who engaged in a sexual relationship with a Kleiner Perkins partner early in her career, claims that the firm is a […]
by Michael P. Maslanka I am honored to be a Bedford mentor at the University of North Texas School of Law in Dallas. Mentors divide into numerous small groups with students, and each group reads a different book on a matter of public interest. Our book is Knowing Your Value: Women, Money, and Getting What […]
by Mark I. Schickman Gender discrimination has been illegal for barely 50 years. Soon after the nondiscrimination law was passed, companies had to figure out how to address the gender gap and remedy the dearth of women in the workforce—especially in high-level career positions. Providing liberal leave benefits, on-site child care, women’s mentoring programs, and […]
by Dinita James In the mid-1970s, I wore an ERA bracelet in support of ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). I also had a button that displayed only two numbers and a symbol ― 62 ¢. The 62 cents signified the then-current national average of women’s earnings for every dollar earned by men. Some […]
I watched the opening scene of Mad Men (Season 7, Episode 1) and thought, “Wow, Freddie has really gotten his act together.” His Accutron pitch, so polished, so vivid, so moving. Don Draper himself could not have done better. Turns out Don couldn’t have done better, but only because it was revealed later that Don […]
More than a few HR professionals have combed the Internet, consulted their peers, and examined their own experiences as they search for a crystal ball capable of revealing the future of the millennial generation in the workplace. Some HR pros see enormous potential in well-educated, confident, passionate, energetic, and collaborative team players, while others see […]
by Brinton M. Wilkins Philosophers argue endlessly about “Truth” with a capital “T,” but most people will likely never comprehend that kind of “truth.” Rather, we all view and interpret the world and our experiences through a complex set of lenses that we spend a lifetime creating, both consciously and subconsciously. As Oscar Wilde summed […]
For decades the most heated gender-related dispute in the world of Archie Comics was whether Archie was more into Betty or Veronica. But a recent lawsuit by five white male executives of Archie Comics against the company’s female co-CEO is enough to whiten Reggie Mantle’s hair. The five men (and one woman) allege that Nancy […]
by David Theard Louisiana’s Equal Pay for Women Act (EPWA), which applies only to public-sector employers, goes into effect August 1. The new law affirms that paying unequal wages to public employees on the basis of sex is discriminatory and violates public policy. The original bill would have covered both public- and private-sector employees, but […]
By Alix Herber and Keri Bennett Human Rights Tribunals across Canada are constantly expanding the interpretation of prohibited grounds. Ontario has recently joined Manitoba and the Northwest Territories and gone one step further by recognizing gender identity as a prohibited ground.