Legal & Regulation

Employees reject workplace monitoring

04 Oct 2023 | Management-Issues

More than two-thirds of people in the UK find the idea of being monitored in the workplace intrusive, according to new research.

Wicked problems and the price of fish

10 Oct 2014 | Dawna Jones

Exploring choice, economics, systems and evolution with economist Professor Michael Mainelli.

Thinking through the complexity

13 Aug 2014 | Dawna Jones

Forget organizational planning, budgeting and performance appraisals; these are all tools of the past. Companies that really want to navigate their way through today's complexity need to be able to think, not just steer.

Say "no thanks" to new farm rules

26 Apr 2012 | Dan Bobinski

Too often, the well-intended efforts of government agencies are vulnerable to the law of unintended consequences. And those include many negative ripple-effects, particularly when safety is concerned..

Court orders women to wear bras at work

13 Jan 2011 | Brian Amble

A judge in the German city of Cologne has ruled that company bosses are within their rights to order female employees to wear a bra, keep their fingernails trimmed and appear at work with their hair clean and groomed.

Two ways to restart the economy

20 Nov 2010 | Dan Bobinski

I recently heard someone say that a true American does not want a free ride, he wants to sail his own boat. I find that statement to be overwhelmingly true, but as far as running a business is concerned, how much sailing can one do when so many obstacles fill the waters?

German companies to be banned from checking Facebook

31 Aug 2010 | Brian Amble

Proposed legislation soon to go before the German parliament will make it illegal for employers from checking out job applicant's private Facebook pages as part of a wider crack-down on the misuse of private data by corporations.

When "not mandatory" still means compulsory

28 Sep 2009 | Derek Torres

The story of a woman who was fired from her job from for refusing a flu vaccination raises some important issues about individual freedom and employment rights.

Court judgement will make employers sick

15 Sep 2009 | Brian Amble

The European Court of Justice is going to win few friends among employers following a ruling that means employees who are ill during their holiday can demand extra holiday from their employers to make up for it.

A conscientious can of worms

07 Jul 2009 | Derek Torres

A proposed 'conscientious objector' law in the state of in Michigan that would protect people from having to do anything in their job that may be in conflict with their religious beliefs. What a can of worms that would be.

Shining a light on sexual harassment

06 Jul 2009 | Derek Torres

It came as some surprise to me to see that the number of sexual harassment claims in Israel has jumped substantially in the past year or so - by as much as 12% according to recent figures.

Colorado loses the plot

30 Jun 2009 | Derek Torres

I'm sure that you've picked up the newspaper or turned on the evening news, only to ask yourself, 'what on earth were they thinking?' or even 'why weren't they thinking?' Here's a classic example.

Ohio? No thanks

14 May 2009 | Derek Torres

If you've ever thought about working for the great state of Ohio, you may want to think again, especially if you're of the porn surfin', hell raisin', and prostitute soliciting persuasion.

A lesson from Rwanda

10 Mar 2009 | Derek Torres

It's not too often that we discuss what's going on across Africa in these posts, so I decided to change that. After doing some research in the news, it seems our friends in Africa enjoy (well, not literally) the same problems as workers everywhere else in the world.

New year, new laws

08 Jan 2009 | Derek Torres

With a new year comes new laws – even for the workplace. To that end, I'd urge everyone to hop online and check out any new laws that may have gone into effect in your part of the planet.

Will over-regulation strangle financial services?

01 Dec 2008 | Kevan Hall

Onerous regulatory regimes such as Sarbanes-Oxley did nothing to prevent the current financial crisis. And more bureaucracy won't prevent problems in future. What we need is a regulatory environment that encourages fast, decentralized control, not a centralized, rules-based approach.

Craziness in Canada

13 Nov 2008 | Derek Torres

Running a small company or an independent consultant practice is no easy task. So the last thing you want is a government that is determined to make your life even more difficult - which is exactly what's happening in Canada.

All change?

10 Nov 2008 | Derek Torres

Will the election of Barack Obama really bring chnage to the American workplace? The answer seems to be a qualified 'yes'.

Living dangerously in Maryland

17 Sep 2008 | Derek Torres

There's a common misconception about Americans in that we don't like sex. Well, that's probably true in some states, but certainly doesn't seem to be the case in the great state of Maryland.

Rights and wrongs

04 Sep 2008 | Derek Torres

In today's world of everyone believing that they are entitled to special treatment for one reason or another, it's increasingly difficult to be an HR professional or labor lawyer.