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     Thursday, July 02, 2009 - Updated 04:36pm CST    
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Committee Maps Routes to Health Care Reform

Health care industry leaders are now pledging to rein in the rate at which costs increase. President Barack Obama did a one-hour interview and town-hall style discussion about health care reform on prime time network TV this week. Lawmakers promise quick action. Bits and pieces of information on this topic emerge almost nonstop these days. During the new few weeks, we’ll look at different aspects of the health care reform proposals in Congress and how they could potentially affect employers. Read more

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Sotomayor’s Second Circuit Employment Law Record

John Phillips PhotoEmployment law attorney John Phillips looks at Judge Sonia Sotomayor's labor and employment law record as a judge on the Second Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. There are at least 15 officially reported or published cases for which she has authored an opinion dealing with labor and employment law issues. This doesn’t include what may be the most controversial decision in which she was involved, Ricci v. DeStafano. Read more

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ENDA Introduced in House of Representatives

U.S. Representative Barney Frank (D-Massachusetts) introduced the Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 2009 (ENDA) yesterday in the U.S. House of Representatives. If passed, ENDA would prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.ENDA would bar public and private employers, employment agencies, and labor unions from basing employment decisions (such as firing, hiring, promotion, or compensation) on an individual’s actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. Read more

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Court OKs Firing for Failure to Sign Improvement Plan

If you've been paying attention, you already know that the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) -- like many discrimination laws -- prohibits retaliation against an employee who exercises her FMLA rights. A recent Seventh Circuit decision found that an employee wasn't retaliated against for taking FMLA leave and upheld two principles, one well established and another more nuanced. Read more

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Obama, DHS Budgets Hint at Immigration Priorities

The White House and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security recently released their proposed budgets for fiscal year 2010. Both budgets discuss immigration-related priorities, offering a glimpse of what the new administration may pursue this year. Even though he is obviously facing several domestic economic challenges, President Obama has signaled that he still supports comprehensive immigration reform and may soon decide to pursue that goal. Read more

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What's Your Odd HR Duty?

Question Mark ImageQuestion posted by Paul in Cannon Beach
HR is practiced differently from organization to organization. In smaller companies, its not unusual for HR (and other positions) to wear multiple hats. So what is your ODD HR function? What is that task you inherited at some point that seems incongruent with everything else you do. I have a WHOLE list of them.
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What Can HR Do about Workplace Gossip?

Let's face it. We're living in a society that's fascinated with the private lives of other people. You've also got to admit that you've even gossiped a time or two about people you actually know. But do you sometimes feel that you're dealing with a bunch of middle-school students rather than a workforce of adults? Workplace gossip can cause a host of problems, not only for the employees involved but also for your organization as a whole. What, if anything, should you do about the gossipmongers among your workforce? Read more

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Business Writing
for HR and Supervisors

Does your writing style wear blue jeans? Casual attire may fly at the office, but a poorly written e-mail can adversely affect how you, your bosses, and your company are viewed. Off-the-cuff comments and bad grammar in any business correspondence can diminish your ability to lead and can even be used as ammunition for a lawsuit. Learn how to master the written word and produce written documentation that will hold up in court with the FREE HR Hero White Paper, Business Writing: Effective Techniques for HR and Supervisors. Read more


Sotomayor's Second Circuit ERISA Cases

2009-07-02 12:28

Five of the Second Circuit opinions authored by Judge Sonia Sotomayor deal with the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). ERISA cases aren't considered as sexy as a lot of employment law cases, but the number of such cases is growing...

Read more on The Word





Business Strategy: Is Yours the Right One?

2009-07-02 08:28

I've been thinking and reading a lot about strategic planning lately. I guess when all hell is breaking loose, as it has been for many businesses of late, it becomes real easy to question the strategic direction of the company. When sales are falling or profits are eroding, when new ventures are struggling to gain traction or long-term successes are beginning to wane, one begins to question the strategic direction of the business...

Read more on The Oswald Letter





More on Supreme Court’s Ruling in Key Reverse Discrimination Case

2009-06-30 14:04

On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of white firefighters in a 5-4 decision addressing workplace reverse discrimination. The Court held, in Ricci v...

Read more on HR News





Limits Placed on Videotaping Picket Line Activities

2009-06-30 05:00

In October and November 2006, members of the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 401 were on strike and picketing at Palace Casino, located at one of Canada’s largest malls -- West Edmonton Mall...

Read more on Northern Exposure





Hot List: New York Times Bestselling Hardcover Business Books

2009-06-29 15:46

The following is a list of the bestselling hardcover business books as ranked by the New York Times on June 29. 1. Outliers: The Story of Success

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Small Favors

2009-06-25 15:00

Thank goodness for small favors!  With The Office on summer break, we didn’t have to face Thursday night with trepidation, fearing that Michael would, in his affable way, fling impertinent comments about the Iranian election crisis around for all to hear...

Read more on That's What She Said





The Role of Diversity in Fall of Chrysler

2009-06-14 22:05

By Sarah McAdams Embracing diversity and inclusiveness is not only the right thing to do — it also, of course, makes good business sense. When we think about organizational diversity, we usually first consider the individual level...

Read more on Diversity Insight




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