Back in April, the New York Times wrestled with the issue of whether the unpaid intern was legal or not. One of the conclusions stated: "California and some other states require that interns receive college credit as a condition of being unpaid. But federal regulators say that receiving college credit does not necessarily free companies from paying interns, especially when the internship involves little training and mainly benefits the employer."
Well TLNT wrote this week that the United States Department of Labor (DOL) has begun to crack down on businesses that do not pay interns and offers some keys about complying with the law. While the DOL has issued a "fact sheet", TLNT does a great job of translating that for Human Resources and figuring out where problem areas still exist.
And then there's the factor of which degree to choose when you're in school? Well Monster.com and Yahoo! HotJobs issued a list of the worst-paying college degrees (H/T Wendy). A good list of majors to avoid for students and areas where Human Resources should take notice.
Well once those college students graduate, what is waiting for them? Not much. The New York Times wrote back in July that many are trying to join Teach for America--but few are actually chosen for the very selective positions. But yet many graduates from some of the most prestigious colleges around the country are applying there for the job security and resume booster that it provides.
Last piece of advice for the college grad (or, really, anyone else) comes from The Oatmeal: "What your email address says about your computer skills." A funny must-read for anyone who is applying to a job with an @aol.com/@yahoo.com/@hotmail.com address.
Showing posts with label lawsuit. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lawsuit. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Making the Workplace Uncomfortable
We've all seen it at one point or another: a bully in the workplace. This person can be a boss, an owner, someone in power or someone just on a power trip. They can work in any department and they come in many shapes and sizes. But Human Resources needs to be aware of these people and take care of them before they dominate and intimidate the workplace. Like a school bully, it can be intimidating to stand up to these workplace bullies, but someone needs to do it. And that someone needs to be from either management or human resources.
A few articles on the subject:
Bloomberg Businessweek starts us out with ten signs of a fear-based workplace so you know what to look out for (H/T Wendy). Some of them are more obvious than others but #10 seems to sum it up: "When senior leaders make virtually all decisions in secret, dole out information in unhelpful drips, and base hiring on sheeplike compliance rather than energy and talent, and the PA system all but blares "Be glad to have a job, stop whining, and get back to work," your company's fear problem is off the charts."
TIME via Yahoo! News is next with an article saying that New York just passed a bill which may make workplace bullying explicitly illegal: "If New York's Healthy Workplace Bill becomes law, workers who can show that they were subjected to hostile conduct - including verbal abuse, threats or work sabotage - could be awarded lost wages, medical expenses, compensation for emotional distress and punitive damages"
A few articles on the subject:
Bloomberg Businessweek starts us out with ten signs of a fear-based workplace so you know what to look out for (H/T Wendy). Some of them are more obvious than others but #10 seems to sum it up: "When senior leaders make virtually all decisions in secret, dole out information in unhelpful drips, and base hiring on sheeplike compliance rather than energy and talent, and the PA system all but blares "Be glad to have a job, stop whining, and get back to work," your company's fear problem is off the charts."
TIME via Yahoo! News is next with an article saying that New York just passed a bill which may make workplace bullying explicitly illegal: "If New York's Healthy Workplace Bill becomes law, workers who can show that they were subjected to hostile conduct - including verbal abuse, threats or work sabotage - could be awarded lost wages, medical expenses, compensation for emotional distress and punitive damages"
Friday, March 05, 2010
Guest Post: Writing Like a Professional Will Get You Paid Like a Professional
Once in a while, we get an excellent guest blog submitted to us. This is one of those cases. Jay, a friend of mine, who just graduated law school and passed the bar, is someone I would classify as a "grammarian" (others may use the less politically correct term "grammar nazi"). He hates people's misuse of "your" and "you're" and of course "there", "their", and "they're". But while perfect writing is not required in any job, knowing how to write like a professional is a good way to get hired, to keep your job, and to advance. Here is some advice from Jay in our guest blog today:
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I am a newly admitted attorney who graduated from law school less than one year ago. Lawyers, by definition, have been trained to write like professionals. This is one of the redeeming aspects of our profession, and I am proud to uphold this “tradition.”
Sadly, writing is not the art that it used to be. From the dawn of mankind until the early 1980’s, human beings wrote on surfaces ranging from stone walls to ordinary paper, using utensils ranging from granite rocks to ballpoint pens to typewriters. The common element among each of these formats is that those human beings had no room for error. There was no backspace key or pencil eraser or Wite-Out. Once that typewriter key was pressed, or that pen stroke was made, the words were – figuratively and often literally – set in stone. Consequently, writers were forced to choose their words very carefully.
Fast forward to the last couple of decades. The invention of the personal computer has revolutionized the way in which people write. The two biggest changes, in my opinion, are that we can write faster than ever before and that we can easily correct our mistakes. Admittedly, this faster pace of writing has lessened the strain on our bodies and our minds. The downside of this speed is that to avoid negating the time and trouble we have saved by using computers, we rush through the thinking process. Quite simply, because we can write quickly and correct our mistakes effortlessly, we write as the words and thoughts occur to us. For many people, the concept of “stream of consciousness” has transformed from an exercise in a high school English class into the primary way in which we communicate with other people.
Lots of modern norms have accelerated this change. Nobody writes a letter anymore; we write e-mails instead. Text messages have replaced handwritten notes and postcards. Blogs have replaced letters-to-the-editor. Twitter has replaced newspaper clippings. Communication has never been easier, and the end result is that people are writing more frequently and faster than ever. We are constantly looking for shortcuts to save even more time. The problem, however, is not how fast we write. No, the problem is how we write.
I believe that “AIM-speak” is just plain ugly. First used in instant messaging programs more than a decade ago, this style of writing has spread to modern e-mails and text messages. The words “you,” “because,” and “tonight” have become “u” and “cuz” and “2nite.” We are even too lazy to phrase the simple question, “What’s up?” anymore. Instead, we opt for the shorter “wsup?” These examples are just a few of the countless shortcuts people now use in contemporary English writing.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I am a newly admitted attorney who graduated from law school less than one year ago. Lawyers, by definition, have been trained to write like professionals. This is one of the redeeming aspects of our profession, and I am proud to uphold this “tradition.”
Sadly, writing is not the art that it used to be. From the dawn of mankind until the early 1980’s, human beings wrote on surfaces ranging from stone walls to ordinary paper, using utensils ranging from granite rocks to ballpoint pens to typewriters. The common element among each of these formats is that those human beings had no room for error. There was no backspace key or pencil eraser or Wite-Out. Once that typewriter key was pressed, or that pen stroke was made, the words were – figuratively and often literally – set in stone. Consequently, writers were forced to choose their words very carefully.
Fast forward to the last couple of decades. The invention of the personal computer has revolutionized the way in which people write. The two biggest changes, in my opinion, are that we can write faster than ever before and that we can easily correct our mistakes. Admittedly, this faster pace of writing has lessened the strain on our bodies and our minds. The downside of this speed is that to avoid negating the time and trouble we have saved by using computers, we rush through the thinking process. Quite simply, because we can write quickly and correct our mistakes effortlessly, we write as the words and thoughts occur to us. For many people, the concept of “stream of consciousness” has transformed from an exercise in a high school English class into the primary way in which we communicate with other people.
Lots of modern norms have accelerated this change. Nobody writes a letter anymore; we write e-mails instead. Text messages have replaced handwritten notes and postcards. Blogs have replaced letters-to-the-editor. Twitter has replaced newspaper clippings. Communication has never been easier, and the end result is that people are writing more frequently and faster than ever. We are constantly looking for shortcuts to save even more time. The problem, however, is not how fast we write. No, the problem is how we write.
I believe that “AIM-speak” is just plain ugly. First used in instant messaging programs more than a decade ago, this style of writing has spread to modern e-mails and text messages. The words “you,” “because,” and “tonight” have become “u” and “cuz” and “2nite.” We are even too lazy to phrase the simple question, “What’s up?” anymore. Instead, we opt for the shorter “wsup?” These examples are just a few of the countless shortcuts people now use in contemporary English writing.
Thursday, March 04, 2010
Deception, Credit Checks and the Receptionist in the Job Search
A few older articles to get out of the way today, but that doesn't make them unrelevant!
From a mid-February New York Times report, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) sued seven job placement operators for deception. The victims were innocent people just looking for a job and part of an expanding array of fraudulent job placement and work-at-home schemes. This is sad news for the job market where cruel people are taking advantage of the desperation of people to get hired.
From earlier this week a Yahoo! News and AP report says that states may ban credit check on job applicants (H/T Wendy). As we said above, it's hard enough to get a job in this economy, but now job applicants are facing another hurdle in the form of bad credit histories. From the article:
From a mid-February New York Times report, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) sued seven job placement operators for deception. The victims were innocent people just looking for a job and part of an expanding array of fraudulent job placement and work-at-home schemes. This is sad news for the job market where cruel people are taking advantage of the desperation of people to get hired.
From earlier this week a Yahoo! News and AP report says that states may ban credit check on job applicants (H/T Wendy). As we said above, it's hard enough to get a job in this economy, but now job applicants are facing another hurdle in the form of bad credit histories. From the article:
Sixty percent of employers recently surveyed by the Society for Human Resources Management said they run credit checks on at least some job applicants, compared with 42 percent in a somewhat similar survey in 2006.And lastly, from the New York Times "Corner Office" is a C.E.O. that says that one of the things she looks for in a job candidate is how they treated the receptionist when they came in for the interview: "I’ll want to know if someone comes in and if they weren’t polite, if they didn’t say, “Hello,” or ask them how they were. It’s really important to me." Good advice!
Employers say such checks give them valuable information about an applicant's honesty and sense of responsibility. But lawmakers in at least 16 states from South Carolina to Oregon have proposed outlawing most credit checks, saying the practice traps people in debt because their past financial problems prevent them from finding work.
Friday, November 20, 2009
A Few Restaurants in Park Slope You May Not Want To Work For
From New York Magazine's always excellent Grub Street:
That's not good news. One usually thinks of restaurants as places where labor laws are a gray area (many New York restaurants have undocumented workers and the wages paid aren't always "fair"), but there are still consequences for violating the law even within the food services industry. Mama Mexico faced a lawsuit earlier this year and the question of paid sick leave has become a hotly debate topic. Those are just two examples but it shows that no matter what industry you are in, you need to treat your workers right.
When Marc Murphy testified against a proposed bill mandating that restaurateurs provide paid sick leave, his director of operations made sure to point out that Landmarc treats its employees very well, thank you (among other things, they get five sick days after they’ve worked there a year). But here’s something interesting — another restaurateur who testified against the bill on Tuesday, Irene Lo Re, also happens to be the owner of one of 25 Park Slope restaurants that were busted by the state Department of Labor for underpaying workers.
Though the eateries weren’t named in yesterday’s press release from the labor department, the NY Daily News today revealed that the restaurants include Olive Vine Café, Sotto Voce, Sweet Melissa Patisserie, Baluchi's, Sette Enoteca e Cucina, and Aunt Suzie’s. And a call to Christine Quinn’s office reveals that Aunt Suzie owner Irene Lo Re spoke against paid sick leave. To make matters more interesting, Lo Re is president of the Fifth Avenue Business Improvement District and she has also been a chairperson of Community Board 6. We’ve called Lo Re to find out what, exactly, it is that she doesn't like about the bill.
That's not good news. One usually thinks of restaurants as places where labor laws are a gray area (many New York restaurants have undocumented workers and the wages paid aren't always "fair"), but there are still consequences for violating the law even within the food services industry. Mama Mexico faced a lawsuit earlier this year and the question of paid sick leave has become a hotly debate topic. Those are just two examples but it shows that no matter what industry you are in, you need to treat your workers right.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Patriot Day Links
In was Patriot Day up in Boston today and here are some links to celebrate:
-The Laconic Law Blog tells us how making a profane comment about your employer can result in your loss of labor protections
-Don't have time for social media? Collegerecruiter.com say to hire an intern!
-HR World says less structure, more profit and to do this they recommend hiring recent graduates and having them work in a virtual office.
-RoundPegg has some thoughts on brown-nosing, sycophantism and sucking up including urging us all to not give in
-Want to know how a company can blow its trade secret protection? George's Employment Blawg has some details
-Goals vs. Commitments. Fistful of Talent has the battle
-Lastly, Benefits Buzz urges it to be done pro bono to get the most from time off spent to volunteer
-The Laconic Law Blog tells us how making a profane comment about your employer can result in your loss of labor protections
-Don't have time for social media? Collegerecruiter.com say to hire an intern!
-HR World says less structure, more profit and to do this they recommend hiring recent graduates and having them work in a virtual office.
-RoundPegg has some thoughts on brown-nosing, sycophantism and sucking up including urging us all to not give in
-Want to know how a company can blow its trade secret protection? George's Employment Blawg has some details
-Goals vs. Commitments. Fistful of Talent has the battle
-Lastly, Benefits Buzz urges it to be done pro bono to get the most from time off spent to volunteer
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
What I'm Hearing...Changes to Compensation Planning Are Coming Your Way
Yesterday, Congress approved the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. BLR has a clear synopsis of the law at http://compensation.blr.com/display.cfm/id/156373.
At the moment, I have many conflicting thoughts on the passage of this legislation, and will spare our readers my stream of consciousness! :-)
As a first step, have HR professionals already audited their compensation programs to make sure discrimination does not exist? If not, now is the time to investigate and take positive action.
With the passage of this Act, it appears that a tidal wave of new HR legislation will be coming from Washington. With legal costs typically averaging $100,00 or more per case, advance preparation and positive action now are essential to ensuring a "lawsuit free" organization.
At the moment, I have many conflicting thoughts on the passage of this legislation, and will spare our readers my stream of consciousness! :-)
As a first step, have HR professionals already audited their compensation programs to make sure discrimination does not exist? If not, now is the time to investigate and take positive action.
With the passage of this Act, it appears that a tidal wave of new HR legislation will be coming from Washington. With legal costs typically averaging $100,00 or more per case, advance preparation and positive action now are essential to ensuring a "lawsuit free" organization.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
The Financial World and the Job Market
It'll be interesting to see the fallout in the job market from the current financial crisis, but some effects are already seen...
The first article is from the New Jersey Law Journal and probably won't work for most of you...but the important part is just to read the title and then find a way to get your hands on the article: Pru Appeals in Suit Charging it Paid Off Plaintiffs' Lawyers: click here
Next, an interesting lesson from Yahoo! News via the AP on what can happen with mergers/takeovers and job layoffs as HP surprises Wall Street in this article: click here
(H/T to Wendy for those)
The Wall Street Journal (with a nice, new look) continues with an article sure to cause a little head scratching to most of America...the Executive job market is still healthy: click here and a video here
Next from the Journal is a very interesting article about trying to get Fannie Mae's and Freddie Mac's employees to stay as the mortgage giants go through some difficult times: click here
Going quickly to the Boston Globe's, Boston.com Monster.com HiringHub HR Center HR Blog, word that this isn't your father's job fairs--something new is in the air: click here
Lastly, in an article form the Journal, we learn that GMAT scores are being canceled...a lesson to employers that sometimes test scores aren't really all that reliable: click here
We've also added a great new feed from the WSJ on our right: click here
Monday, August 04, 2008
The Complaint Department
Somebody's got a case of the Mondays!Here's a list of seven employee complaints for this Monday:
1) Your employer is watching over you...even as you work at home (an article about telecommuting surveillance from the Wall Street Journal's Career Journal): click here
2) Your former employer is delighting in your layoff (well this Workforce Management article says that if they do, they're going to hell -- Management hell): click here
3) Your former employer is suing you (this may turn out really, really poorly according to the Laconic Law Blog): click here
4) My employer is making me copy on both sides of the paper among other money-saving operations (Fistful of Talent talks about Budweiser's integration into InBev...a good article also about combining cultures in company's and HR's responsibility in that): click here
5) The superstar employee on my team is getting $20-$25 million in severance (while this is probably not your company, this article is an interesting view on the Brett Favre situation in Green Bay from the HR Capitalist and how they blow the term "Golden Parachute" totally out of the water): click here
6) My young co-workers are hopping from job to job and making more money than me (Perfect Labor Storm 2.0 has an article confirming job hopping among Gen Y/The Millenials): click here
7) I just have lots of complaints (well About.com's Human Resources blog compiled a list of the top ten employee complaints): click here
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Isiah Wins Again By Losing
Isiah Thomas lives in a fantasy world. If the former NBA star-turned NBA coach-turned NBA executive was governed by normal workplace rules, he'd probably be brought out back and shot. He's made one the NBA's most important franchises a laughing stock both on the court and off of it, lost his organization millions of dollars, and even more in bad publicity he incurred through a lovely sexual harassment lawsuit. He was bad at a GM, so they made him coach...now he's fired from both...and what's he doing now?
He's been reassigned to the team as an advisor, according to ESPN (click here), but has been banned from contacting the players...lest he try to meddle some more...
So he screws up the team as GM, gets to take on the team as coach and GM...doesn't do any better there...and gets a 3 year contract extension...then he really, really does poorly...and the team fires him...but keeps him on as an advisor....
Are you kidding me? What is he going to advise on? How to lose money? How to get sued? How to lose basketball games? How not to manage a cap? How to acquire bad players? How to not coach?
The Daily News tries to explain with a great headline reading "Isiah Thomas is not fired, just banned": click here
But Deadspin, always a good source of honest reporting and a laugh, said it perfectly in their heading "Isiah Is Smarter Than All Of Us: Isiah Thomas Pretty Much Got a Promotion": click here
The best part of the article being: "that makes Isiah a tremendously well-paid secretary (and coffee boy for Jim Dolan). Isiah is making $18 million to stay away from his employers. The man was a genius all along!"
If you are in HR...look at the history of this man and the Knicks and teach it to your colleagues as a cautionary tale
He's been reassigned to the team as an advisor, according to ESPN (click here), but has been banned from contacting the players...lest he try to meddle some more...
So he screws up the team as GM, gets to take on the team as coach and GM...doesn't do any better there...and gets a 3 year contract extension...then he really, really does poorly...and the team fires him...but keeps him on as an advisor....
Are you kidding me? What is he going to advise on? How to lose money? How to get sued? How to lose basketball games? How not to manage a cap? How to acquire bad players? How to not coach?
The Daily News tries to explain with a great headline reading "Isiah Thomas is not fired, just banned": click here
But Deadspin, always a good source of honest reporting and a laugh, said it perfectly in their heading "Isiah Is Smarter Than All Of Us: Isiah Thomas Pretty Much Got a Promotion": click here
The best part of the article being: "that makes Isiah a tremendously well-paid secretary (and coffee boy for Jim Dolan). Isiah is making $18 million to stay away from his employers. The man was a genius all along!"
If you are in HR...look at the history of this man and the Knicks and teach it to your colleagues as a cautionary tale
Monday, April 28, 2008
Blow That Whistle
We're in the middle of the NBA and NHL playoffs...but the most important whistleblower story may be in Human Resources...
The Washington Post starts us off this an article about the whisteblower's unending story: click here
Next, from Michigan Live, some news about a lost whistleblower case in Detroit and a document on a computer: click here
And lastly, from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, word about a hospital's large payout following whistleblower's kickbacks: click here
The Washington Post starts us off this an article about the whisteblower's unending story: click here
Next, from Michigan Live, some news about a lost whistleblower case in Detroit and a document on a computer: click here
And lastly, from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, word about a hospital's large payout following whistleblower's kickbacks: click here
Friday, April 25, 2008
Blogroll pt. 3
The last entry of our blogroll has some great blogs for you to check out on the Astron Solutions blog...
First, the Laconic Law Blog has a lot of great legal information for Human Resources Professionals including news on joint employers and FMLA violations: click here
Next, Thinking HR blog has some great information for HR including this one about the IRS raising the Mileage Rate for 2008 (via BLR): click here
Bootstrapper has the top 100 HR Bloggers and we hope to be on this list if they do it again in 2008: click here
Workforce Management's Workforce Blog "The Business of Management" has some great articles including one about rethinking charging workers for smoking: click here
Lastly is Workplace Attitudes who we fixed their link (sorry about that) and provide to you for great information on articles such as why jerks kill creativity: click here
If you have any other suggestions for our blogroll, please let me know...
First, the Laconic Law Blog has a lot of great legal information for Human Resources Professionals including news on joint employers and FMLA violations: click here
Next, Thinking HR blog has some great information for HR including this one about the IRS raising the Mileage Rate for 2008 (via BLR): click here
Bootstrapper has the top 100 HR Bloggers and we hope to be on this list if they do it again in 2008: click here
Workforce Management's Workforce Blog "The Business of Management" has some great articles including one about rethinking charging workers for smoking: click here
Lastly is Workplace Attitudes who we fixed their link (sorry about that) and provide to you for great information on articles such as why jerks kill creativity: click here
If you have any other suggestions for our blogroll, please let me know...
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
More links!
Yeah...we got more links for you...
First a blog about the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM): click here
Next, from Boston Globe, Monster.com, HiringHub, word on finding the best talent: click here
HR Daily Advisor has 7 stupid things that supervisors say and then get sued: click here
From SHRM, word on what that blogger was talking about above: click here
ITtoolbox has some advice on what every IT manager should know about HR: click here
MSNBC says don't wear blinders when dealing with your boss: click here
HR Daily Advisor is back with 3 vital things that supervisors should say: click here
Lastly, the Business Review of Western Michigan (via Michigan Live) has an article about getting and recruiting talent from elsewhere: click here
That should last you for a while ;)
First a blog about the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM): click here
Next, from Boston Globe, Monster.com, HiringHub, word on finding the best talent: click here
HR Daily Advisor has 7 stupid things that supervisors say and then get sued: click here
From SHRM, word on what that blogger was talking about above: click here
ITtoolbox has some advice on what every IT manager should know about HR: click here
MSNBC says don't wear blinders when dealing with your boss: click here
HR Daily Advisor is back with 3 vital things that supervisors should say: click here
Lastly, the Business Review of Western Michigan (via Michigan Live) has an article about getting and recruiting talent from elsewhere: click here
That should last you for a while ;)
Monday, March 03, 2008
March On
Marching on here on the first workday in March as we update you on some Human Resource news that we had previously touched on here on the blog...
First from the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) and their study titled "2008 Flu Prevention in the Workplace Study" say that 33% of offices send their employees home if they come to work sick to battle against presenteeism...but just 10% actually offer the employee the telecommuting options that would allow them to work from home: click here
While most of them (59 percent) say their companies offer free flu vaccine to employees, other options are reported. Eighteen percent of companies encourage employees to get a flu shot offsite and 10 percent will pay for it. Nineteen percent offer shots onsite, but at employees' expense. Three percent do the same, but subsidize part of the cost.
"Employers recognize the benefits of keeping their employees healthy and productive during work hours," said Susan R. Meisinger, president and CEO of SHRM. "Flu season is a real threat to all businesses, so prevention is top of mind for HR professionals."
Educating employees on preventative measures to reduce the spread of flu at work is an initiative reported by 47 percent of HR professionals. Other common prevention efforts include making hand sanitizer and tissues easily accessible (52 percent).
Lastly, we turn to another one of our fellow bloggers for advice saying to make sure to protect yourself from lawsuits which can be costly, time consuming and bad for business and your company's public image: click here
First from the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) and their study titled "2008 Flu Prevention in the Workplace Study" say that 33% of offices send their employees home if they come to work sick to battle against presenteeism...but just 10% actually offer the employee the telecommuting options that would allow them to work from home: click here
While most of them (59 percent) say their companies offer free flu vaccine to employees, other options are reported. Eighteen percent of companies encourage employees to get a flu shot offsite and 10 percent will pay for it. Nineteen percent offer shots onsite, but at employees' expense. Three percent do the same, but subsidize part of the cost.
"Employers recognize the benefits of keeping their employees healthy and productive during work hours," said Susan R. Meisinger, president and CEO of SHRM. "Flu season is a real threat to all businesses, so prevention is top of mind for HR professionals."
Educating employees on preventative measures to reduce the spread of flu at work is an initiative reported by 47 percent of HR professionals. Other common prevention efforts include making hand sanitizer and tissues easily accessible (52 percent).
Lastly, we turn to another one of our fellow bloggers for advice saying to make sure to protect yourself from lawsuits which can be costly, time consuming and bad for business and your company's public image: click here
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Breaking News on Supreme Court Age Discrimination Case
We've been talking about it here for a while so wanted to update you by letting you know a ruling has come down in the Age Discrimination case seen before the Supreme Court and in a unanimous ruling, they have found in favor of the ex-employee (click here)
This is a big blow to businesses as the Associated Press (via Forbes) writes:
The Supreme Court is leaving the door open for workers in age discrimination cases to present supporting evidence from other employees at a company.
This, after a Washington Post analysis article from Sunday said that the Supreme Court Justices were further resisting finding the right to sue: click here
More later as news becomes available...
Updated: If you want to see the actual Supreme Court decision, check it out here on their website: click here
Updated: The StarTribune weighs in with some more information than the Forbes article, but a little easier for most of us to understand than the full Supreme Court decision: click here
This is a big blow to businesses as the Associated Press (via Forbes) writes:
The Supreme Court is leaving the door open for workers in age discrimination cases to present supporting evidence from other employees at a company.
This, after a Washington Post analysis article from Sunday said that the Supreme Court Justices were further resisting finding the right to sue: click here
More later as news becomes available...
Updated: If you want to see the actual Supreme Court decision, check it out here on their website: click here
Updated: The StarTribune weighs in with some more information than the Forbes article, but a little easier for most of us to understand than the full Supreme Court decision: click here
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Latest 401(K) news
We've been talking a lot lately about the cases the Supreme Court would hear but one ruling they just came out on dealt with 401(K)s...
According to MSNBC (via AP): click here
The issue in the LaRue case was whether the Employee Retirement Income Security Act permits an individual account holder to sue plan administrators for breaching their fiduciary duties.
According to MSNBC (via AP): click here
The issue in the LaRue case was whether the Employee Retirement Income Security Act permits an individual account holder to sue plan administrators for breaching their fiduciary duties.
The language of the law refers to recovering money for the “plan” rather than for an individual, raising the question of whether a participant can sue solely for himself.
Justice John Paul Stevens, in his opinion for the court, said that such lawsuits are allowed. “Fiduciary misconduct need not threaten the solvency of the entire plan to reduce benefits below the amount that participants would otherwise receive,” Stevens said.
Business owners supported LaRue's employers and you wonder what repercussions this plan will have on future 401(K) offerings from employers and how many lawsuits will follow this decision...What I'm Hearing...Wage and Hour Lawsuits
Over the past few weeks, I’ve been hearing more and more about wage and hour lawsuits. It seems the U.S. Department of Labor is stepping up its investigation of wage and hour complaints. Now, more than ever, it’s essential to make sure your FLSA exempt / non-exempt classifications, and associated job descriptions, are accurate and up to date. White collar positions including store managers, IT positions, and sales reps are the next wave of DOL investigation. In the past, traditional non-exempt positions have been the focus.
According to Fortune Small Business, key areas to examine are “executive assistant” positions, IT employees, pay docking practices, the impact of telecommuting on compensation, provision of comp time, and the use of stock options.
FLSA compliance has always been a thorny issue. While the new 2004 regulations helped in a variety of areas, compliance continues to vex HR professionals and their business line managers. Proactively updating your job descriptions and auditing your exemptions should help to prevent your organization from being targeted for lawsuits by employees and the DOL.
According to Fortune Small Business, key areas to examine are “executive assistant” positions, IT employees, pay docking practices, the impact of telecommuting on compensation, provision of comp time, and the use of stock options.
FLSA compliance has always been a thorny issue. While the new 2004 regulations helped in a variety of areas, compliance continues to vex HR professionals and their business line managers. Proactively updating your job descriptions and auditing your exemptions should help to prevent your organization from being targeted for lawsuits by employees and the DOL.
More on Age Discrimination
Whether you call it Ageism (detailed here in full Wiki style) or age discrimination, you, as a Human Resource Professional, should be getting familiar with the idea, because the decisions made in Washington will have an impact on your business. Amazingly, this story is getting very little play in the national media outside of Washington. But we here at the Astron Solutions' blog found you the best articles to get you even more up-to-speed...
First, the Washington Post has a quick summary look at the Age Discrimination cases: click here
Next, an article about how the shield against reprisal after a bias claim was discussed by the Supreme Court: click here
On to Slate which has an article titled "Grumpy Old Men"...always an interesting read over there at Slate: click here
Lastly, Jurist, from University of Pittsburgh Law School, has the court cases for those
who want to see the legalese behind the lawsuits: click here
First, the Washington Post has a quick summary look at the Age Discrimination cases: click here
Next, an article about how the shield against reprisal after a bias claim was discussed by the Supreme Court: click here
On to Slate which has an article titled "Grumpy Old Men"...always an interesting read over there at Slate: click here
Lastly, Jurist, from University of Pittsburgh Law School, has the court cases for those
who want to see the legalese behind the lawsuits: click here
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
Happy Holidays...you're fired!
The Washington Post reports that amazingly 200,000 Pentagon employees may be fired just in time for the holiday season: click here
The New York Times Career Couch talks about hobbies being rich in psychic rewards as well as a few other topics in this Q&A: click here
Lastly for our Wednesday, Human Resource Executive Online has an article titled "HR On Trial": click here
The New York Times Career Couch talks about hobbies being rich in psychic rewards as well as a few other topics in this Q&A: click here
Lastly for our Wednesday, Human Resource Executive Online has an article titled "HR On Trial": click here
Saturday, December 01, 2007
Welcome to December
We're in our last month of December but we're not slowing down with our blog articles...
First, on our theme of the recent strikes, word from the Washington Post that the democrats have canceled a debate over fear of the writer's strike: click here
Next, from the Kansas City Star, some advice about the difficult task of testifying: click here
Lastly, from the Franchise Business Opportunities weblog, word about HR for franchises: click here
First, on our theme of the recent strikes, word from the Washington Post that the democrats have canceled a debate over fear of the writer's strike: click here
Next, from the Kansas City Star, some advice about the difficult task of testifying: click here
Lastly, from the Franchise Business Opportunities weblog, word about HR for franchises: click here
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