Jonathan A. Segal is a partner at Duane Morris LLP in the Employment, Labor, Benefits and Immigration Practice Group . He is also the managing principal of the Duane Morris Institute . The Duane Morris Institute provides training for human resource professionals, in house counsel, benefits administrators and managers at Duane Morris, at client sites and by way of webinar on myriad employment, labor, benefits and immigration matters. Read Jonathan's blog at the Duane Morris Institute or follow him on Twitter @Jonathan_HR_Law .
As a general rule, employers must pay non-exempt employees for all time that they work (broadly defined) and that includes getting ready for work (preliminary activities) and finishing work (postliminary activities). As discussed below, there is a de minimis exemption under federal law (FLSA).
Last week, two celebrities took their lives, Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain. To be more specific, they committed suicide.
It is important to say the word “suicide” because many media reports, at least initially, did not. There is still, for some, discomfort with mental health issues in general and suicide in particular.
I am excited to hear Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook, speak later this month at SHRM’s Annual Conference & Exposition in Chicago.
When I saw the list of speakers at #SHRM18, I knew immediately I wanted to interview David Rock, the co-founder and director of the NeuroLeadership Institute. I am very interested in neuroscience (particularly as it relates to implicit bias), and I have learned a great deal from a number of writings about and by David.
The United States Congress created the Days of Remembrance as our nation’s annual commemoration of the Holocaust. This year, Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom HaShoah) is today, Thursday April 12, 2018.
No one can credibly deny that sexual harassment is a persistent and pervasive problem. It infects all industries; none is immune.
While this blog focuses on sexual harassment, we must create cultures that do not tolerate any kind of harassing behavior, such as harassment based on race, ethnicity, age or disability. Harassment of any kind is the enemy of inclusion.
There was a time when it was quite common for individuals to find their spouses (or partners) in the workplace. Indeed, this still happens today, although perhaps less so.
“Life Is What Happens When You’re Making Other Plans” ~ John Lennon
This is one of my favorite quotes by John Lennon. I think of it almost every year when I attend SHRM’s Annual Conference & Exposition.
You don’t need me to tell you it is a conference like no other. The learning opportunities are second to none. I look at the speakers and always feel honored to be among them.
Responsible employers, among other steps, train managers on their “bystander” obligations. It is not enough to refrain from bad behavior. As a bystander with power, if you see or hear harassing behavior, you must respond to it. But how?
As a result of the “great awakening” last year of the persistence and pervasiveness of sexual harassment, we all know that more must be done to tackle this scourge. Companies are looking to enhance their preventive efforts, and, of course, that must start at the top.
For the past few years, I have told the changing holiday tale of the Jewish Guy Who Wears A Chai. Together, we have taken a journey on how we can maximize the joy and minimize the myriad risks of the holiday season.
I have been thinking a lot about Harvey Weinstein and other high-profile cases of serial sexual harassment. These cases are extraordinarily disturbing, to say the very least.
There are some who have suggested that the Weinstein nightmare is simply a Hollywood problem, dismissing it as nothing more than the age old “Hollywood casting couch.” How patently wrong they are.
In 2009, the Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) began auditing the I-9 practices of Asplundh Tree Experts Co. Last month, the Company pled guilty in Pennsylvania federal court to a charge of knowingly employing immigrants without authorization to work in the U.S. The fine: a record $95 million.
We all know that not all bias is conscious. Some bias is unconscious—often, referred to as implicit bias.
This means that we may be engaging in bias without even knowing we are doing so. This is most likely to occur when we make snap judgments.
Just as Texas begins its slow recovery from Hurricane Harvey, Florida braces for Hurricane Irma. So, we must, again, look at wage and hour rules:
For Texas employers, particularly in and around Houston, the priority is helping employees and remaining as operational as possible. Just a reminder of the wage and hour rules that apply to remaining as operational as possible:
Almost every HR professional deals with an attorney. With strong relationships, sometimes you will refer to the lawyer as your lawyer. Not so fast. Here are 6 recommendations to keep in mind when you deal with “the” lawyer:
Under federal and state laws (most or all), employers can have voluntary retirement programs. Of course, there is much litigation on whether and when an employee’s decision to retire is truly voluntary.
Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook and author of Lean In, lost her husband Dave unexpectedly in 2015. This year, she teamed up with her friend and Professor at the University of Pennsylvania, Adam Grant, to write Option B.
Option A is the employee's life with the loved one. Option B is surviving without him or her.
We all know that employees do not leave their personal selves at the workplace door. The experiences we have outside of work inform who we are at work.
That is why we spend so much effort--or we should--on helping develop a culture that makes it easier for employees to manage work and life. But, there is one part of life that is often left out: death.
