Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
by Stephen Acker and Leanne Fioravanti More exotic modes of transport may need to be explored as Ottawa, Canada’s capital city, struggles with relentless snow storms and a highly controversial bus strike. Unfortunately there is no end in sight as the OC Transpo transit strike enters its second month in mid-January. This transit strike demonstrates: […]
Appraisers and appraisees alike complain about performance evaluations. They’re a lot of work; they generate a lot of discomfort; and they don’t always produce a clear benefit. In today’s issue, step-by-step recommendations from BLR’s editors. 1. Get the Employee Started. Set a meeting date, and give the employee his or her self-appraisal materials well ahead […]
The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled today (Jan. 26, 2009) that the anti-retaliation provisions of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 apply to employees who voluntarily cooperate with an employer’s internal investigations, even if the employee didn’t initiate the investigation and has filed no formal charge. In the case, Vicky Crawford was […]
Retail giant Wal-Mart has agreed to pay up to $54.25 million to settle a lawsuit accusing the retailer of violating hours of work and break laws at Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club stores in Minnesota. This settlement follows a judge’s decision last summer finding that Wal-Mart violated a host of wage and hour laws. Approximately 100,000 […]
FedEx Corp. has agreed to shell out a whopping $26.8 million to end a long-running dispute over whether California delivery drivers in the company’s ground unit are independent contractors or employees. Last year, a California appellate court ruled in the case that about 200 ground drivers were misclassified as independent contractors. The drivers had sued […]
A California court of appeals has ruled that an employee cannot recover punitive damages for the employer’s violations of state Labor Code provisions governing meal and rest breaks, pay stubs, and minimum wages.1 That’s because those Labor Code provisions include specific remedies, including penalties that are punitive in nature—and those are the only remedies available. […]
When an employee files a lawsuit that turns out to be frivolous, the employer can usually recover its own attorney’s fees expended in defending itself in the case. But now, in a blow for employers, a California appeals court has ruled that Exxon Corp. could not recover attorney’s fees it was required to expend to […]
The U.S. House of Representatives has approved two pieces of legislation that proponents say will boost protections against gender discrimination in compensation. The first, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to declare that an unlawful employment practice occurs when (1) a discriminatory compensation decision or […]
Poor economic conditions are contributing to a rise in workplace theft by employees, according to a new survey of 392 employers conducted by the Institute for Corporate Productivity. Twenty-four percent of all respondents and 31 percent of respondents at large companies (10,000 or more workers) reported an increase in theft of office supplies, products produced […]
The following is a list of the bestselling hardcover business books as ranked by the New York Times on January 26. 1. Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell. hy some people succeed — it has to do with luck and opportunities as well as talent — from the author of Blink: The Power […]