Supreme Court Ruling on Religious Accommodations

In the Supreme Court ruling in Groff v. DeJoy, issued on June 29, the Court unanimously held that employers can only deny an employee’s request for a religious accommodation under federal law if they can prove that it would result in a substantial increase in costs for the business.

Fitness-for-Duty Employee Exams

The ADA poses limitations on when an employer can request a fitness-for-duty examination. You need reasonable belief based on OBJECTIVE evidence that the employee’s health condition may either: prevent them from performing essential job functions or pose a threat to themselves or others. Don’t make assumptions.

Employee References: The Good, Bad & Ugly

A recommendation from an employer must be given in a fair, honest, and accurate manner. You as an employer, have responsibilities not only to the person being referenced but also to the person requesting the reference. Therefore, the reference should be honest and not overly positive if it is not warranted or overly negative if that […]

Do Employers Need to Pay Their Interns?

Internships are governed by the U.S. Department of Labor to ensure that workers are paid fairly, and interns are often paid at least the federal minimum wage. Internships, which are sometimes misunderstood as unpaid work, are actually short-term learning opportunities for students or prospective employees to gain practical experience in their field. If you’re not […]

Adopting Alternatives to the Annual Performance Reviews

The major drawback of performance reviews, and the reason more and more businesses are doing away with them, is that they can be boring. Their end-of-the-year focus and emphasis on monetary incentives and penalties hold employees accountable for previous behaviour at the expense of improving current performance. Having regular discussions about employees’ current performance and scope for development, on […]

Benefits of Offering Work Schedule Flexibility

Employees, whether they are on-site or remote, frequently cite schedule flexibility as an important factor in achieving a healthy work-life balance. An employee’s usual arrival and departure times could be staggered under a flexible time policy to help with day care or school obligations. Yet another adaptable choice would be to do away with regular […]