Ohio may soon join other states in outlawing sexual orientation discrimination by private employers. It may be time for employers to rethink their employment discrimination policies and include sexual orientation. One good first step is to include anti-gay discrimination training in your regular anti-discrimination program ...

A slowing economy and tight cash flow might make it tempting to trim benefits and bonuses. But drastic cuts could be penny-wise and pound-foolish. Here are 10 ways you can help soften the blow of reduced benefits and incentives ...

The workplace might be the best place for employees to learn how to prevent HIV and AIDS, says a new Conference Board report. Two-fifths of U.S. employers distribute information to workers about the risks of becoming infected with HIV—the human immunodeficiency virus, which causes AIDS. Nearly 90% of corporations worldwide conduct HIV and AIDS education ...

Verizon Wireless is keeping its employees longer by keeping them educated and trained. The Basking Ridge, N.J.-based company pays tuition for employees to earn business-related degrees ...

Some jobs are still dominated by either men or women, and those employees may not welcome with open arms the first member of the opposite sex. Before dumping the new employee into the workplace, make sure you do everything you can to ensure equal treatment in all important aspects of the job. Otherwise, you may find yourself facing a lawsuit over unequal treatment ...

U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board member William Wright believes better housekeeping could have prevented the explosion at the Imperial Sugar plant in Port Wentworth that killed 12 workers in February ...

Q. Our company is considering hiring student interns this summer. Are we required to pay them under California law? ...

Even though Florida’s Civil Rights Act does not outlaw sexual orientation bias, employers must still comply with local ordinances that do. And employers also should prepare to comply with potential changes in federal laws. Incorporating anti-gay bias training into your regular anti-discrimination training carries a number of benefits ...

The Michigan House of Representatives has approved a plan to add $40 million to Michigan’s worker retraining program, known as “No Worker Left Behind.” Gov. Jennifer Granholm pushed for the funding, which now heads to the state Senate ...

The rise of class actions makes it essential for HR professionals to explore exactly how their companies dole out training and promotion opportunities. If individual supervisors or managers have too much discretion, there may be trouble ahead. An “old boy” network may be alive and well ...

Employees can get frustrated. Sometimes, they even act rudely. But a new ruling highlights a legal risk you may not have thought about: An employee’s rude treatment can quickly turn into an ADA lawsuit if the customer is disabled ...

Managers and supervisors tend to cut some slack for new employees. After all, novice employees need training before mastering new skills. But if a trainee is beginning to look like she’s not catching on, it’s time to document her efforts and results—plus those of her fellow trainees. Here’s why ...

Retaliation lawsuits are all the rage among employees (and their lawyers) these days. Employees filed 26,663 complaints of retaliation with the EEOC in 2007, up 18% from the previous year. One key reason is the landmark U.S. Supreme Court 2006 ruling in Burlington Northern & Santa Fe Railway Co. v. White ...

A reader of the Forum section of our free HR Weekly e-letter posed this question, “Our managers are responsible for enforcing our dress code, but some of them don’t. What can we do?” Here’s how some HR professionals replied ...