by Sophie E. Zdatny
Recently, the Employers Counsel Network (ECN) met in Alexandria, Virginia, where several notable speakers stopped by to provide their insights on current developments in the employment arena at the national level and to share their predictions for President Barack Obama’s second term. This is [...]

by Kathy Neal
You’ve been verifying I-9s since the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) took effect in 1986. You know the difference between List A, B, and C documents, and you can fill out I-9s in your sleep. Imagine your surprise to receive a letter from the Office of Special Counsel for Immigration-Related Unfair Employment [...]

No one wants to get burned by hiring a bad apple, so it’s common for employers to conduct background checks to lessen the chance of bringing a dishonest employee into the workplace. But as hazardous as it is to have shady employees, it also can be dangerous to step out of line when checking people [...]

by Tammy Binford
When Yahoo! Inc. CEO Marissa Mayer decided her company would be better off if home-based workers relocated to the office, she gave a lot of people a lot to talk about. And telecommuters, HR professionals, executives, and bloggers sounded off in a big way.
The furor started with a memo in February that was [...]

by Karen Gwinn Clay
Q Our management team wants to mandate that every employee get a flu shot. I know there will be resistance from our employees on differing grounds (religious belief, fear, and the like). Help!
A Unless an employee is in a health care setting, this is a difficult call. For hospitals, nursing homes, and [...]

by Joseph Godwin
Happy New Year! I hope the holiday season was a joy-filled one with plenty of time to spend with family and friends ― the most important people in our lives.
Now it’s January and time for making ― and implementing ― those dreaded annual “resolutions.” The economy, while slowly improving, remains weak [...]

by Edward Sisson
As an employer, you know that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination based on race, color, sex, religion, or national origin. You also know that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability. What you may not know is that [...]

by Al Vreeland
I report from the center of the Southeastern Conference (SEC)—where the arrival of winter means it’s firing time. Four of 14 SEC head football coaches have been sacked, and regardless of your tailgating preference, their terminations provide lessons on how to gracefully handle the exit of your top executives.
Penthouse to outhouse
No coach rode [...]

by Joseph Godwin
Company holiday celebrations have a well-deserved reputation for resulting in employer headaches. Alcohol consumption at parties, gag gift exchanges, questionable wardrobe choices, Dirty Dancing moves, excluding spouses or domestic partners, and a host of other factors have made the office party the “most wonderful time of the year” for employees’ lawyers. You don’t [...]

by C. Edward Watson
Q: Every year, the holiday season seems to get more stressful. On the one hand, I have a couple of employees who want to make everything about Christ. They insist on wishing everyone, including our customers, a merry Christmas rather than happy holidays or not saying anything. They claim [...]