Recently, the Department of Labor (DOL) issued an opinion letter regarding the question of paying employees for taking classes related to the retention of their professional licenses. The basic question was: Is it possible for employees to be compensated for their time spent taking professional educatio...
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has released its Fiscal Year 2020 Agency Financial Report reviewing the commission’s financial goals and accomplishments. For employers, the news is that the commission established a record in recovery in its court cases. The report says that...
About one-fifth of American workers consider their work environment toxic due to gossip, disrespect, manipulation, arguing, or malicious people poisoning the team’s morale. It’s estimated that a single disharmonious employee can cost a company more than $12,000 by affecting other employees...
Now more than ever, businesses need committed employees who are willing to do whatever it takes to fulfill their duties and quickly adjust to new ideas. Committed employees work together to achieve the company’s goals and help each other make the best of each workday. Employee morale is a hot topi...
President Donald Trump recently issued Executive Order Number 13950—Combating Race and Sex Stereotyping. The order forbids federal workplace training that teaches inherent bias. The question that arises, however, is what constitutes inherent bias training. According to the order, which takes effect on N...
According to an analysis by Seyfarth Shaw, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has closed its fiscal year with a marked decrease in cases filed. The COVID-19 pandemic, a change in leadership at the EEOC, and the employer-friendly Trump administration may be behind this trend. For the past...
The coronavirus pandemic has created tough economic times for most businesses. Often the first thing companies do to save money is to cut out employee training and development, which doesn’t make sense to remove something intended to make employees more productive. Employee development is how you...
Issuing an employee warning letter is a common HR practice. This method allows HR managers to discipline the staff and to make sure that all employees observe the rules written in the company policy. In addition, a warning letter is also a way for employers to reduce legal risks when firing an employee....
On September 25, the Department of Labor published in the Federal Register a proposed rulemaking that would clarify and ease the restrictions on independent contractor rules. In a boon to the gig economy, the proposed rulemaking would make it easier to be classified as an independent contractor rather t...
In light of the controversial campaign season that has now enveloped the country, strong opinions during political discussions are likely to arise in the workplace. This can become a debilitating issue for employers and their teams if political conversations become heated between coworkers. Knowing what...
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released a report on joblessness and employment recently. Titled “The Employment Situation—August 2020,” the report was published September 4. Its opening sentence: “Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 1.4 million in August, and the unemploymen...
The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), a federal law, includes a provision to allow new mothers to express milk at the workplace. More specifically, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act amended the FLSA to require employers to provide “reasonable break time for an employee to express breas...
