Blog
FREE SPEECH AND WORKPLACE INSUBORDINATION
Fired over Facebook Post – Labor Board Intervenes The National Labor Relations Board has stepped in to defend a worker terminated over disparaging remarks she posted on Facebook about her supervisor. The NLRB asserts that employer American Medical Response’s firing decision — as well as its policies prohibiting employees from writing about the company on […]
TO FIRE OR NOT TO FIRE
Employee Termination the Right Way Terminating an employee is never high on a manager’s fun list. No doubt, it can be a delicate task. Firing an employee the wrong way can lead to a nightmare of expensive accusation and counter-accusation, destroying workplace production and executive morale. Prevention is key. Two recent articles cover the topic […]
SOLVING UNFAIR OR DANGEROUS EMPLOYMENT CONDITIONS
Is There a Wrong or Right Way to Complain? Kevin Kasten says he complained to his employer Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics Corporation about an improper location of the company time clock and that the company illegally retaliated against him as a result. Saint-Gobain says it could not have retaliated against Kasten as his protest was only […]
TERMINATION OF EMPLOYEES
How to Fire a Troublesome Worker Without Getting Burned Susan is the supervisor for “Tony the Trouble-Maker.” Although Tony used to be the top producer in the division, lately he has been rude to Susan, fights with his coworkers, and refuses to take responsibility when something goes wrong under his watch. Susan is struggling to […]
CALIFORNIA EMPLOYER WHO SENDS WORKERS HOME EARLY CAN PAY FOR THE PRIVILEGE
PAID TO PLAY, BUMMER MAN California Employer Who Sends Workers Home Early Can Pay for the Privilege Jim is one of the company’s three customer service representatives. Thirty minutes into the morning shift, the supervisor sends him home for lack of incoming calls. Later in the day, the work picks back up, the supervisor calls […]
LOVE CONTRACTS IN THE WORKPLACE
Love Contracts in the Workplace How Employers Can Regulate Office Romance In just about every supermarket tabloid on the shelves, there’s at least one splashy article about actors or actresses falling in love on a movie set. In a 2009 survey by CareerBuilder.com on relationships at work, 37% of U.S. employees surveyed stated they had […]
NEW CALIFORNIA CIVIL AIR PATROL LEAVE FOR EMERGENCY MISSIONS
NEW California Civil Air Patrol Leave FOR EMERGENCY MISSIONS Effective January 1, 2010, the Civil Air Patrol Employment Protection Act (new Labor Code Sections 1500 through 1507) requires employers with 15 or more employees to provide ten days or more of unpaid leave per year for volunteer members of the California Civil Air Patrol Wing […]
2010 CHANGES TO REQUIRED POSTERS AND PAMPHLETS
2010 Changes to Required Posters and Pamphlets Required Postings: Per the California Chamber of Commerce’s informational web pages, California employers must conspicuously display required labor posters or notices where all employees may view them. Several of the employer posters must also be displayed where job applicants can read them (e.g. polygraph protection and state and […]
BARBOSA V. IMPCO TERMINATING AN EMPLOYEEFOR MISTAKENLY FALSIFYING TIME CARD VIOLATES PUBLIC POLICY
Barbosa v. IMPCO – Terminating an Employee for Mistakenly Falsifying Time Card Violates Public Policy Although well-established law in California holds that an employer may not retaliate against an employee who has a valid wage claim, a November 30, 2009 appellate court ruling also protects employees against retaliation for mistakenly believing they have a valid […]
RUDE, CRUDE AND SOCIALLY UNACCEPTABLE LAWFULLY DETHRONING THE WORKPLACE DESPOT
How to address and resolve workplace bullying