Tag: Policies

Legal Restrictions on Employee Background Checks

Employee background checks are used by an estimated 92 percent of organizations in one form or another before hiring someone. They can be quite useful, but employers should be careful because the EEOC has been cracking down on illegal use of background information. Are you aware of what you should and shouldn’t be doing with […]

Avoid Gender Discrimination when Implementing Dress Codes

Employers may implement whatever dress guidelines they feel are appropriate, as long as they do not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, religion, disability, or any other federally protected status. Nonetheless, it may be best to avoid imposing rigid or highly restrictive dress requirements. Overly restrictive requirements may create resentment among employees and negatively […]

Key Differences in US and Canada Employment Laws

Canada employment laws can be quite different to their counterparts in the United States. US employers with operations in Canada need to be well-versed in these differences to stay in legal compliance on both sides of the border. Here are some of the big-picture differences of which to be aware. Canada Employment Laws: Minimum Employment […]

NLRB and Social Media Policies: Are You in Violation?

Social media policies have come under scrutiny from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), primarily in relation to an employee’s rights to conduct concerted activity. This right is protected by the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) Section 7. The problem is, the NLRB’s recent interpretations have been so broad that you may not even have […]

4 HR Misconceptions Your Managers Believe

Yesterday’s Advisor featured popular SHRM speaker and attorney Joseph L. Beachboard debunking 9 popular HR urban legends. Today, he debunks 4 more, plus we introduce the training program for those with no time to train. Beachboard made his remarks at SHRM’s Annual Conference and Exhibition, held recently in Chicago. He is a shareholder in the […]

13 Urban Legends of Employment Law Debunked

It’s time to debunk many of HR’s urban legends, says popular SHRM speaker, attorney Joseph L. Beachboard. These misplaced beliefs can only encourage laws Beachboard made his remarks at SHRM’s Annual Conference and Exhibition, held recently in Chicago. He is a shareholder in the Los Angeles and Torrance, California, offices of law firm Ogletree Deakins. […]

Why Does the NLRB Care About At-Will Policies?

Most employers have and use at-will provisions in their employment agreements, handbooks, and acknowledgements. These provisions tend to state that the at-will nature of the employment is not subject to modification. However, in the last year employers have found that these provisions may be in violation of NLRA Section 7. "The NLRB has now weighed […]

The Difficult Business of Searching Employees’ ‘Private’ Spaces

Special from Chicago—SHRM Annual Conference and Exhibition In yesterday’s Advisor, we got tips on privacy in the workplace from popular SHRM speaker, attorney Jonathan Segal. Today, his tips on searches, plus an introduction to the all-HR-in-one website, HR.BLR.com. Segal made his remarks at SHRM’s Annual Conference and Exhibition, held recently in Chicago. He is a […]

‘No Fair, I’ve Got Free Speech Rights!’ (Sorry.)

Special from Chicago—SHRM Annual Conference and Exhibition In private employment, the employer determines whether there is an expectation of privacy, says attorney Jonathan Segal, but unwary employers may create the right if they are not careful. (Government employees generally have a constitutional right to a higher level of privacy than those in the private sector.) […]

Q&A on Doing Business in Canada

Doing business in Canada requires understanding how Canadian employment law differs from US. For example: Are hourly employees in Canada required to be paid overtime after 40 hours of work in a week, just like in the US? Is there paternity leave in Canada? What notice must an employer give an employee before terminating them? […]