The Department of Labor has determined that an employer is to blame for injuries suffered by a worker whose face was burned as he was cleaning a machine. Doskocil Manufacturing Inc., which operates as Petmate, became the target of an…
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Despite HR's pivotal role in business, recent research has found that a substantial number of employees do not trust HR. Some figures that indicate a troubling disconnect between employees and their HR departments: 43% of small business employees don't feel…
A mobile home manufacturer in Alabama could’ve prevented a 62-year-old roofing laborer’s fatal fall if the employer had followed OSHA’s fall protection standards, a federal investigation found. Because the employer failed to do so, it now faces a hefty penalty…
When are expectant fathers entitled to FMLA leave? And what exactly are they entitled to? What about FMLA leave for new fathers? A new ruling from the Eleventh Circuit provides valuable insight that can be applied when assessing FMLA for…
Is high blood pressure a legitimate reason to take FMLA leave? The question came up in a case from Arkansas. Here was the scenario. An employee missed work without warning for a week. His reasoning? He was just diagnosed with…
In recent weeks, the District of Columbia’s Office of the Attorney General (OAG) has been focused on protecting its citizens from wage theft. Here’s what’s happening in the nation’s capital, according to the lawsuit – and what HR can learn…
It’s not too often that a workplace injury as relatively minor as a broken foot leads to a multi-million dollar jury verdict. But due to an unusual set of circumstances, that is exactly what happened in a recent California case…
A recent study found that falls are among the costliest workplace injuries. In fact, they're in the top three workplace injuries with the highest compensation payouts. So when it comes to protecting workers from deadly fall hazards, most employers stand…
The Supreme Court just dealt a blow to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) by making it harder for the federal labor agency to win early court injunctions for employees in cases involving labor disputes. By raising the bar that…
If an injury happens at work, does the injured employee always get workers’ comp benefits? In New York, the law sets a presumption that the injury arose out of employment and that workers’ comp benefits are available. But here’s the…
There's a good chance that someone in your organization is wasting time at work (such as an extra-long lunch break) right now. When a software engineer on the anonymous workplace community Blind posted a poll question last year asking how…
An administrative law judge (ALJ) upheld an OSHA finding that an employer in Houston illegally fired a worker who exercised his rights under the federal Whistleblower Protection Program – and ordered the company to pay $14,945 in back pay, interest…
Pop quiz about job interviews: If an applicant will need an accommodation to do the job, do they have to tell you so during their interview? The answer is no, as a new suit filed by the Equal Employment Opportunity…
How much porn at work is OK to watch? We hope your policy is zero. And as this lawsuit shows, the reasons for taking that policy seriously don’t just include cutting down on distractions and keeping the focus on work.…
A Resume Builder survey revealed that by the end of 2024, 90% of employers will have some type of return-to-office requirement. This inevitably means some employees will arrive late for work. It also means employees will be giving inventive reasons…
Idaho’s highest court negated a lower court ruling that said a doctor’s noncompete agreement could not be enforced. The case was sent back to the lower court for further proceedings. Dr. Donald Blaskiewicz, who is a highly trained neurosurgeon, was…
