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North Carolina

Beware diversity goals that cause reverse bias

11/18/2021
Employers are eager to recruit talent from every background, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, religion or other protected characteristics. And they’re launching organization-wide initiatives to achieve their diversity goals. But sometimes, diversity initiatives can backfire, triggering lawsuits that allege reverse discrimination against majority-group members who perceive they’re missing out on opportunities for which they are qualified.

Same-sex harassment may include nonsexual behavior

06/10/2021
Don’t ignore a sexual harassment complaint just because the workplace consists of members of a single sex and there’s no claim that the harasser was seeking sexual favors.

Is that harassment, or just a social media spat?

05/21/2020
Sometimes, employees bicker back and forth on social media. That can lead to accusations that someone was representing the employer and used online postings to harass or retaliate. Unless the employee can prove that the posting was done on behalf of the employer, he won’t win.

As economic road turns rough, dodge these 4 RIF potholes

04/07/2020
With the coronavirus pandemic ravaging the economy, layoffs are in the news—and on the agendas of leaders and HR pros at employers big and small. Here are four critical and often overlooked reduction-in-force potholes that can make the route more treacherous than it needs to be.

3 lawsuit-proof alternatives to layoffs

03/19/2020
With business slowing nationwide because of the coronavirus pandemic, many employers have already laid off staff, and many more fear they will have to do so soon. Before you commit to wholesale reductions-in-force, there are three alternatives worth considering.

No guarantee of same job after FMLA leave

06/08/2017
You may have to promote someone from within to do the work of the employee who has taken FMLA leave. But what about the employee who took FMLA leave? Isn’t he entitled to return to his old job? Not necessarily, as long as you can place him in an “equivalent” job with the same benefits and pay.

6 ways to manage use of personal smartphones for work

01/27/2017
There’s no guarantee your em­­ployees’ personal devices are as well-protected as company-issued de­­vices. To ensure the safety of employees’ smartphones and continued access to your company’s information, take these six steps before allowing employees to use them for work.

Can part-timers be salaried workers?

04/30/2014
Q. Can we pay any of our part-time employees as salaried employees?

For termination day, how much do we pay?

04/30/2014
Q. Our pay period is Sunday through Saturday. A salaried employee is being laid off on Monday. Should she be paid hourly for time worked during that final pay week?  Does that include the unauthorized time she informed her supervisor she worked on Sunday?

Union wants election at Lumber Bridge, N.C. poultry plant

04/30/2014
The union that represents employees at the Smithfield Foods plant in Tar Heel put on the feed bag in March to publicize efforts to organize employees at another company’s plant nearby. The goal: To build support for forcing a union election at the Mountainaire Farms poultry plant in Lumber Bridge.