Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
The Iowa Court of Appeals recently found that an employee who made violent threats on Facebook couldn’t sue her former employer for retaliation after she was terminated. The court’s decision is important because it allows employers to make termination decisions when a protected complaint is pending. In other words, not all opposition is protected.
In the aftermath of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, the focus has been on the students—so much so that several news commentators have incorrectly referred to the deceased as “the 17 students who died in the shooting.” Among the 17 people who lost their lives were three adults, who […]
While the holiday season can be a time of great joy and celebration, it also can be loaded with stress. Indeed, the pressures of preparing for the holiday and spending an inordinate amount of time in close quarters with friends and family can bring long-simmering feuds and frustrations to the surface. This concept is handled […]
Violence in society – and the workplace in particular – is on the upswing. The prevalence of active shooter incidents drives home the fact that preventing workplace violence must be a top priority of HR managers across all industries.
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has no standard or regulation specifically addressing workplace violence, but employers’ responsibility to address violence is covered under the General Duty Clause of the federal Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970. And that means employers need to be ready for the agency’s inspection and enforcement efforts.
Mark I. Schickman The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has reported an increase in work-related gun violence for each of the past 10 years. There were 417 workplace homicides in America in 2015; guns were used in 354 of them. In 2017, the epidemic continues. The workplace reflects the nation: More than 100 people […]
by Jourdan Day Ohio’s new law prohibiting employers from creating or enforcing policies that prevent employees with a concealed carry license from storing a firearm in their locked vehicle while on employer premises takes effect March 19. The law means that as long as an employee keeps her firearm and ammunition in a locked compartment […]
While newly proposed workplace violence prevention regulations may never see the light of day under President Donald Trump, employers can expect the federal government to continue to require written prevention programs, training and more, without formal rules in place.
EPISODE 25 It’s hard to listen to the news without hearing about an act of violence, and an unfortunate number of those happen in the workplace. No employer or employee is immune from becoming a victim, and many employers are “soft targets” for violence. But it’s hard to know exactly what steps to take to […]
by Michael P. Maslanka Dallas has been my home for 32 years. Currently, I live and work downtown. The murders of the five Dallas police officers took place just a few blocks from my home. Neighbors in my building heard the firefight as it unfolded. I am a law professor, and three of my students […]