One of the strongest trends in human resource management is the dramatic increase in the use of mandatory employment arbitration agreements. In late 2017, a study by the Survey Research Institute at Cornell University determined that the number of private sector, non-union employees subject to mandatory arbitration agreements had dramatically increased in recent years. The

A federal court of appeals recently ruled that, standing alone, full-time presence at the workplace is not an essential function of a job. In the case, an HR Generalist returned to work part-time while suffering from postpartum depression and separation anxiety. Initially, the employer accommodated the employee by allowing her to work five half-days per

When an employee leaves an organization, one issue the employer often confronts is whether to pay the employee for unused vacation time or other paid time off (PTO). The employer may seek to withhold PTO for myriad reasons: from encouraging employees to use their PTO during employment, to offsetting an employee debt, to encouraging compliance

In one of the most significant labor decisions in decades, the Supreme Court today held in Janus v. AFSCME that public sector workers cannot be forced, over their first amendment objections, to pay dues or fees to a union as a condition of employment. The implications for organized labor, in both the public sector and

Ten months after his election, President Trump has sent nominations to the Senate for a number of key positions, including four with significant importance in the employment area. David Zatezalo, the former Chief Executive Officer of coal mining company, Rhino Resources, is the nominee for the position of Assistant Secretary of Labor for Mine Safety

The Trump administration withdrew a proposed requirement to screen all truck, train and bus operators for sleep apnea – a condition that, if untreated, can cause poor performance in everyday activities as well as severely impaired driving. A few high-profile incidents had called into question the issue of this emerging sleep disorder. The most notable