News

After last year’s landmark Supreme Court Groff v. DeJoy religious-accommodation case that strictly limited when employers can turn down requests, some employers took a hard line, demanding details about professed religious beliefs and solid documentation. But that is backfiring as courts set down strict standards on how much information employers can demand.

Think about the amount of information and records that you maintain about employees. Now, think about the valuable information your organization possesses about clients and customers. Do you treat those two groups of data the same when it comes to confidentiality?

We are doing a layoff that will affect some of our salaried managers. Are we required by law to provide a letter notifying them of the reduction in workforce?

Here’s a reminder that HR needs to train supervisors and managers on ageist attitudes and comments. Even one or two isolated comments that could be viewed as criticism based on an employee’s age can be enough to justify an Age Discrimination in Employment Act lawsuit if there are other indications of favoring the young.

A federal judge in Texas on Nov. 15 struck down the Department of Labor rule that granted overtime pay to 1 million white-collar workers in July and would have made another 3 million eligible for overtime pay on Jan. 1.

For decades, employers have hoped that with each revision of the DOL overtime rules, employers can finally offer their workers time off instead of overtime pay. Commonly referred to as “comp time,” employees could choose to accept time off later instead of overtime. The idea is that employees might prefer this because time off may help hourly workers achieve more work/life balance.

When President-elect Trump takes office in January, expect him to make good on campaign promises to crack down on illegal immigration. While Candidate Trump promised during the campaign to immediately implement a program of mass deportation, President Trump is likely to encounter time-consuming delays due to logistics and litigation.

The National Labor Relations Board on Nov. 13 said employers may not threaten to discipline or fire workers who refuse to attend meetings in which the employer expresses its views on unionization.

If your organization is planning holiday festivities this year, follow these tips for making spirits bright without having to call a lawyer:

If your employees use their personal vehicles to conduct business on your behalf, here’s a warning: If you don’t reimburse them for the associated costs, you could be liable for violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act.