Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
By Hadiya Roderique Modern technology provides many new avenues for human rights violations. As recently learned by the owner of British Columbia-based Metro Aluminum Products, sending sexually-related text messages or photos electronically by mobile phones, also known as sexting, can get you into trouble. Sexting is getting widespread attention in the media. It’s no longer […]
Here’s a case that will probably make employers feel great about their own compliance efforts. You know who you are: You train your new hires on all company policies, you have sparkling and oft-reviewed nondiscrimination, nonharassment, and nonretaliation policies, you conduct supervisory training early and often, and your folks know how to recognize potentially harassing […]
by Dennis J. Merley The “will he or won’t he” retirement saga of Minnesota Vikings quarterback Brett Favre has been a source of speculation and a modest degree of amusement in the sports world. His more recent “did he or didn’t he” events, however, raise serious issues that HR professionals and employment lawyers know all […]
Well, it’s a little difficult to write about the perils of working in Scranton with Michael Scott as your boss when the entire office is attending a wedding, but here goes. After watching last night’s repeat episode of Jim’s and Pam’s wedding, I can’t say that getting married to a coworker is always a bad […]
Following a massive $250 million punitive damages verdict from a Manhattan jury, Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis has agreed to settle the remaining claims in a recent gender bias suit. Pending final approval by the district judge, the settlement would be more than $152 million and would cover the remainder of the 5,600 claims filed in […]
When I first thought about writing a lighthearted piece on Debrahlee Lorenzana, she was still a little-known would-be sexual harassment litigant. A few days have passed, and she is now well on her way to being a worldwide phenomenon. It seems that every time you turn on the TV, there she is, talking about how […]
Litigation Value: $250,000 for assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligent hiring, and negligent entrustment. Well, folks, the quintessential horndog — Michael Scott — is back on the stick. And this week, he didn’t disappoint. Michael’s recent announcement that this may be his final year sitting in the boss chair makes us wonder who will replace him; as […]
Has texting grown up enough to become a corporate communications tool? Are your employees using their company-provided phone, PDA, or smartphone to send text messages? HR professionals, IT leaders, and other executives are pondering the above questions at the moment. Text messaging is becoming more mainstream. Workers who came to maturity in the age of […]
According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), sexual harassment charges by men have doubled since 1992, accounting for 16 percent of the 12,696 sexual harassment charges filed in the 2009 fiscal year. And while female-male sexual harassment certainly makes up some portion of those claims, it’s evident that male-male harassment claims are also on […]
It’s not all fun and games on the set of game show The Price is Right. A former model on the show, Brandi Cochran, filed a suit in Superior Court in Los Angeles on March 1 claiming she was harassed and discriminated against for being pregnant, according to a report in The Wrap, an entertainment […]