Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
No federal or state law requires an employer to publish an employee handbook. However, many HR and legal professionals consider handbooks a best practice. A well-crafted handbook can provide legal protection in a lawsuit should an employee claim they were unaware of the employer’s policies. Handbooks provide vital information on standards of conduct for employees, […]
An employer should have bargained with a union over the effects of its decision to require employees to complete new I-9 forms, a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) administrative law judge (ALJ) recently ruled. The decision serves as a reminder of the broad scope of the duty to bargain under the National Labor Relations Act […]
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has announced a proposal to amend its rules by making employer-friendly changes that continue the Board’s efforts to reverse union gains made during the Obama administration.
Perceptions of marijuana have changed dramatically in Canada. What used to be an illegal drug is now a recognized medical treatment and is soon to be a legal recreational activity. Canada’s Cannabis Act—making recreational marijuana legal—will take effect on October 17, 2018. Employers have struggled to balance the changes against legitimate health and safety issues, […]
When the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issued a decision on joint employment on December 14, 2017, many employers breathed a sigh of relief as the Board reinstated an old employer-friendly standard on what’s considered joint employment. But now employers find themselves once again judged by the previous, less friendly standard after the NLRB took […]
Marvin E. Kaplan has been named acting chairman of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the Board announced on December 22.
by Chuck Harrison A recent labor arbitration decision in Canada provides a guide for employers to “get it right” when balancing occupational safety and health obligations against employee privacy rights.
By Hannah Roskey Determining the legitimacy of an employee’s illness is a tricky situation for employers across Canada. The Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench recently took a firm stance on the abuse of sick leave and found in favor of the employer in Telus Communications Inc. v. Telecommunications Workers’ Union. Telus was correct in firing […]
by Dan Oswald It’s a sad day for me. Hostess Brands, the maker of Twinkies, Ho-Hos, and Ding Dongs, is going out of business. While my midsection may not look like it, I haven’t had a Twinkie—or any other Hostess product, for that matter—in more than 30 years. But I hate to see them go. […]
By Frederic Parisien Workplace harassment, at the onset, involves two players — the harasser and the harassee. A third party is added once a complaint is filed — the employer. And a fourth player, the union, is added if that complaint is a grievance. To what extent does the alleged harasser continue to be a […]