MSNBC.com is featuring an article on something they’re calling “Desk Rage” - the inexorable build-up of toxic stress that leads some office workers to snap and engage in abusive or violent behavior directed towards their workplace, colleagues, or bosses. This is a problem I’m pleased to see being addressed more and more these days by […]

Last week, we kicked off our series on Employee Handbook Cases in South Carolina with this post. Today, I’d like to continue the discussion with a look at how the cause of action based on employee handbooks got started.
First, some background: We discussed in the last post the concept of “employment at will” - which […]

At the SC Bankruptcy & Consumer Law Blog today, you’ll find a post about my experiences with the SC Bar’s Middle School Mock Trial program.

This post is the first in a weekly series of posts regarding the state of the law in South Carolina concerning breach of contract employment actions based on the provisions contained in employment handbooks.
The South Carolina Supreme Court and Court of Appeals have issued several opinions in this type of case over the last few […]

In what must have been a frustrating experience for the plaintiff, the 10th Circuit ruled recently that the Family and Medical Leave Act’s “50 employees/75-mile area” requirement (a prerequisite to an employee being deemed “covered” by FMLA’s provisions) is measured by way of surface miles, not “as the crow flies.” Hackworth v. Progressive Casualty Ins. Co., […]

Welcome to the new and improved South Carolina Employment Law Blog! Thanks to the fine work of E. Webscapes and Lisa Sabin, the Law Office of Sheryl Schelin now has the lovely Wordpress template you see before you (seen in a slightly reworked version at my SC Bankruptcy & Consumer Law Blog).  I think you’ll find […]

From MSN.com, comes this summary of “Ten Worst Things To Do in a Meeting.” Among the excellent tips (remember - these are the things you don’t want to do!):
1. Show Up Late.
Nothing says “I’m disorganized” like walking into a meeting already in progress. Arriving a few minutes early not only demonstrates that you respect your […]

From Forbes/MSNBC.com comes this article titled “How to Survive Your First Week At Work.” Among the helpful hints:
• Learn people’s names
• Be nice
That’s … about it. There are a lot more words, but that’s what it boils down to. Learn people’s names and be nice. Come on - Forbes can’t do better than this? These two tidbits […]

Hip-hop magazine editor-turned-employment discrimination plaintiff Kim Osorio was compensated by a jury in New York with a multi-million dollar verdict this week, but the actual amount of that award is now being disputed by the defendants, The Source and some of its key personnel, and their attorneys.
The workplace described by Osorio’s attorney’s filings in the […]

As this press release announces, Secretary Elaine Chao’s staff has apparently been working hard to submit the Department of Labor’s first update to its Strategic Plan in three years to Congress. Putting aside questions about the utility of strategic plans for a moment, it’s refreshing to see DoL note the significant changes in the American […]