This week we are talking about sexual harassment in the workplace and how teams can transform the office culture to prevent and eliminate cases. Check out our last post on the topic here. Let's pick up where we left off. Next, the company needs to analyze...
I am getting ready to conduct a series of trainings for a client in sexual harassment law, how to avoid sexual harassment in the workplace, and how to manage an investigation should a complaint of sexual harassment be alleged. The first thing that I would...
This week we are talking about the issue of criminal background checks for employees. Do we perform criminal background checks on new employees and existing employees? If you missed part one of this post, you can read it here. Now the question is what should...
A while back I had a post on this blog about “ban the box,” which is a legislative effort being undertaken nationwide to eliminate the question on job applications related to criminal history. Check out that post here, but this post targets the issue of...
We are back on the topic of drug screenings for employees. How can we ensure that our policies are fair and reasonable? If you missed part 1 of this series, you can read it here. In Maryland we have an interesting situation because the use of...
I recently had a client ask me a question about a drug and alcohol testing policy. This particular client actually has a very specific need. They have employees who are driving vehicles on public roads. They have employees who are going to be in people’s...
I want to talk briefly about the role of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) once you have a registered trademark. A couple of weeks ago a friend of mine obtained a registered trademark (not through me for which we shall have words). While doing...
When an examining attorney is reviewing a trademark application at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), they must determine whether or not a trademark application should be moving forward. The examination process is as much an art as it is a science. But, let’s...
One of the listserves I belong to recently posted a very interesting question, and it is a question that comes up quite frequently in the small business world: How do partners resolve disputes? And, most importantly, how do partners resolve disputes when they are fifty-fifty...