A decision this week by New Jersey’s Supreme Court adds another layer to the ongoing debate over employee’s right to privacy within the workplace. The Court concluded that an employee, Marina Stengart, could reasonably expect that e-mail communication with her lawyer through her personal, password-protected, web-based e-mail account would remain private, and that sending and [...]
On March 18, 2010, President Obama signed the Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment Act (”HIRE”), which provides a number of tax credits designed to stimulate employment, including one for business that hire unemployed workers.
Employers of a “qualified employee” are excused from paying the employer’s portion of Social Security taxes on that employee’s wages in 2010. A [...]
This isn’t an employment law issue per se, but I have represented enough family business over the years that I have seen first-hand the critical importance of succession planning. Here is an excellent summary from today’s New York Times on what to consider to avoid a “succession disaster”, including some obvious and some not-so-obvious tips.
Thanks to the Under the Radar blog, here is a very useful guide (which includes some off-color language) to corporate-speak, including such classics as: “Open the Kimono”, “Agree to Disagree”, “It Is What It Is” and “Ping”.
It’s not only lawyers who endanger the English language!
Anyone who deals with human resources issues should consider attending the Upper Midwest Employment Law Institute on May 24 and 25 at RiverCentre in St. Paul. The conference offers 103 different substantive sessions and a terrific faculty (including me)! You will also walk away with terrific written materials, including the new Discipline and Discharge Handbook. [...]
What is the secret to having happy employees? According to this business owner, it’s two-fold: treat them well, and fire the unhappy ones. “As a manager you cannot make everyone happy. You can try, you can listen, you can solve some problems, you can try some more. But there comes a point when you are [...]
Quck updates this morning on a couple of previous posts, both involving food.
First, I wrote here about the EEOC’s effort to obtain documents from Schwan’s in a sexual discrimination case. As expected, Judge Janie Mayeron ruled in favor of the EEOC and has ordered the frozen food company to produce the information sought by the [...]
I just stumbled across an interesting article called “Building a Virtual Law Firm” by Joseph Kashi, an attorney in Alaska. His article was written six years ago, but it highlights some trends that have only gained speed since then.
Kashi first points out that there is nothing new about “virtual” law relationships; most attorneys regularly associate with, [...]
This morning there are a couple of interesting privacy stories that serve as good reminders of best practices in this area. The first arises in connection with a union arbitration over discipline meted out to an employee of a municipal liquor store in Paynesville, Minnesota. As you know, these types of arbitrations usually depend largely [...]
