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Articles Posted in Workplace Safety / Violence

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What would you like to know about the law on employee use of medicinal marijuana?

Last month, the Massachusetts Supreme Court held (here) that a local employer may have a duty to accommodate an employee’s use of medicinal marijuana. You can read more about that decision at Jon Hyman’s Ohio Employer’s Law Blog. Wait, what? If marijuana is still considered an illegal drug under federal law —…

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My 2 cents on President-Elect Trump’s impact on HR-compliance in 2017. (Literally, worth 2 cents)

I’ll open this post with a haiku. Because, I feel like we could all use a haiku. President-Elect For HR, what will he do? Not a stinkin’ clue! …and any employment-law wonk who tells you otherwise, well, we saw how the pundits fared predicting the outcome of the presidential election.…

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What your business can do NOW to prepare for the DOL ‘Blacklisting’ rules and guidance.

In 2014, President Obama signed the Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces Executive Order. Folks like me on the management-side refer to this Order as the Blacklisting rules. In general terms (I’ll get a little more specific below), the Blacklisting rules require prospective federal contractors and subcontractors to disclose anything that may appear on…

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The #WDBJ-TV tragedy and how companies can prevent workplace violence

  Yesterday’s tragic shooting in Virginia, in which two journalists were killed by a former co-worker and third individual was badly injured, was blindsiding. In the hours that passed, we learned more about the shooter’s turbulent work history. However, the only real hints at total disaster came in near real time, as the…

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The limits of addressing mental illness at work

Many of us, including me, have a loved one or friend who has suffered through mental illness. With proper treatment, counseling and support, the symptoms may be controllable. However, sometimes medication and treatment aren’t enough. Mental illness, which generally qualifies as a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act, can…

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NLRB may encourage your employees to file OSHA, FLSA claims too

Last week, the National Labor Relations Board issued this memorandum in which it has instructed regional offices to encourage employees to file complaints with the United States Department of Labor if the the regional NLRB office “believes that an employer may have violated a substantive or anti-retaliation provision of [OSHA]…

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Employment at-will trumps the 2nd Amendment (Yes, you can fire the employee who shoots a gun at work)

In every one of the United States, except Montana, employment is at-will. This means that, absent a contract of employment for a specific period of time, you may fire an employee for any reason or no reason at all. (Not to be confused with “right to work” — more on…

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NJ victims of domestic violence, sexual assault can now get leave from work

  Yesterday, the “New Jersey Security and Financial Empowerment Act,” also known as the “NJ SAFE Act” was passed. I had a long day yesterday. So, rather than summarize the NJ SAFE Act myself, I’m going to lean on Trish Graber of PolitickerNJ to do it for me here: “NJ SAFE…

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GUEST POST: How Tech Creates Add’l Challenges in Today’s Workplace

Today we have a guest blogger at The Employer Handbook. It’s Noah Kovacs. Noah has over ten years experience in the legal field. He has since retired early and enjoys blogging about small-business law, legal marketing, and everything in between. He recently purchased his first cabin and spends his free…