Friday, January 25, 2008

What else I'm reading this week #15


This week has been a historic one for the Blog, as I passed 10,000 visits. Thank you to all my readers for helping me reach this milestone. Part of this success comes from links from other blogs, so allow me to return the favor.

John Phillips from The Word on Employment Law publishes Part IV in his series on Avoiding Employment Lawsuits, focusing on whether you should offer a terminated employee the opportunity to resign.

Dan Schwartz at the Connecticut Employment Law Blog reports on a 2nd Circuit case that reminds us of a very important wage and hour point: if an employee works overtime, you have to pay it even if it was not authorized and even if you have a policy that says it won't be paid unless authorized.

Michael Moore from the Pennsylvania Employment Law Blog continues his series on Five Things Every HR Generalist Should Know, this time focusing on the classification of workers as employees or independent contractors. For my thoughts on this prickly issue, check out Stripping independent contractor protections.

Workplace Horizons has a very thorough post on Microsoft's scary new employee monitoring patent.

D. Jill Pugh's Employee Handbooks Blog gives us some more pointers to keep in mind when firing an employee.

The Labor & Employment Law Blog gives us 5 ways to avoid whistleblower retaliation claims.

HR World reminds us that family-friendly policies help attract and retain employees. I've also written on the pros and cons of family friendly policies.

Alaska Employment Law comments on how well intentioned laws such as the ADA have unintended consequences.

Finally, Lou Michels from Suits in the Workplace reminds us of the dangers instant messaging can cause in the workplace.