by Chelsea V. Brown
As summer heats up, temperatures start to rise, anticipation for family vacations and summer holidays grows, and the spirit of summer can be felt throughout the workplace. As the arrival of summer becomes increasingly evident in cubicles and corner offices, employees can become relaxed about workplace rules and conduct. In some instances, [...]

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 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 [...]

The best way to account for employee absences during the holidays is to plan ahead. Creating a plan allows you to make sure that your company still has enough employees to operate while allowing time off to those who request vacation leave.
Vacation leave is governed by the employer’s policies
Remember that while neither [...]

by Jennifer L. Anderson
Ebenezer Scrooge is the most infamous of employers — overworking and underpaying his employees, denying their vacation requests, and spreading holiday misery rather than holiday cheer. Fortunately, A Christmas Carol is fiction, and times have changed. These days, most of you decorate your offices, accommodate employees’ vacation requests, provide standard holidays off [...]

Although the calendar shows winter is still a month away, employers would be wise to think now about how they’ll handle the challenges hazardous winter weather will bring.
When snow, ice, or other extreme weather shows up in the forecast, employers’ thoughts turn to how weather might prevent employees from getting to work and how those [...]

by Craig M. Borowski
The holiday season is almost upon us. Employers often use this time of year to show their appreciation for employees’ hard work and to celebrate with them in the workplace. Unfortunately, however, even an office party planned with the best of intentions can create legal liability for your company [...]