Day: January 26, 2012

Allowing Gambling at Work: A Good Bet or Bad Odds?

By Celeste Blackburn Are your employees gambling at work? With the Super Bowl and NCAA basketball tournaments coming up, it’s almost a sure bet that at least some employees are gambling on sports during company time, using company equipment. Sometimes, employees don’t wait for major sporting event to gamble, instead betting on the Oscars, American […]

Novartis Agrees to Pay Drug Reps $99 Million to Settle Long-standing Overtime Dispute

The New Jersey drug manufacturer Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation has reached a $99 million settlement with its drug sales representatives. The agreement, announced jointly by management and plaintiff representatives Jan. 26, resolves overtime pay disputes pending since 2006. “We believe this settlement is in the best interest of our employees and the company,” said Novartis President […]

SM Background Checks—15% of HR, 100% of Hiring Managers

One expert suggests that 15 percent of HR departments are routinely doing social media background checks, but, astoundingly, 100 percent of hiring managers are. What’s up with that? We’ve talked about the advisability of doing social media background checks before. Briefly, the negative of doing such checks is that you’re guaranteed to find out things […]

EEOC Nets More than $100 Million in FY 2011 For Plaintiffs Alleging Disability Discrimination

It pays to stay off the  Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s enforcement radar. Employers paid more than $100 million in fiscal 2011 to resolve disability discrimination claims enforced by the civil rights agency, it’s annual annual statistical summary. Payouts to workers alleging violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act produced the highest increase in monetary relief […]

Managing Bosses, Be They Remarkable, Toxic or Perilous

Wasylyshyn. a licensed psychologist and executive advisor, is founder of the Leadership Development Forum, which provides practical guidance for improving your work experience. I Have a Remarkable Boss Remarkable bosses are well-attuned to the concerns and aspirations of others, blend both facts and people considerations in their decision-making, and have healthy egos focused on business […]

Administration to Release Long-Awaited Family Leave Proposal Jan. 30

Regulations implementing expansions to the Family and Medical Leave Act will be proposed Monday, the White House announced today. The 2009 legislative amendments added FMLA coverage for caregivers of wounded and ill service members and veterans. It also provided eligible employees the ability to take FMLA leave to tend to “qualifying exigencies” stemming from a […]

Missing I-9? What To Do

Yesterday, we looked at some of the key aspects of the I-9 rules. Today, the penalties you face if you get it wrong—plus an answer to the question of what to do if you discover that you’re missing I-9s for one or more employees.