The U.S. Women's Soccer Team (USWST) won their second straight World Cup Championship and fourth overall on July 7, 2019, in a 2-0 win over the Netherlands. Their brilliant play as the dominant team of their era was matched by the scrutiny over the brash nature of their post-goal celebrations, lack of interest in going to the White House and equal pay for their work, success and popularity.
U.S. women's soccer team not done yet
Hewlett Packard unable to get class action dismissed
Hewlett Packard Enterprises is one of many tech companies here in California that is facing class-action lawsuits over the payment of female employees. Other companies facing accusations include Oracle, Google and Twitter.
In the case of HP, two women stepped forward, claiming that they had proof that the company paid their male counterparts a higher salary. The company has tried to get the case dismissed, but a California judge recently ruled that the case can proceed. This is despite the fact that the women have yet to provide evidence.
Terminating an employee demands planning
A vast majority of business owners or managers will say that terminating employees is the hardest part of the job. Even under the most business-like of circumstances where laying off staff was necessary, it can be emotional and unpleasant. This can then be followed by an expensive and time-consuming wrongful termination suit.
Employers can help themselves and their legal team by preparing for the termination ahead of time, rather than having to backtrack after the fact. While the circumstances of each situation are different, some helpful strategies include:
Getting to know your potential business partner
You have a great idea for a business, and you have found someone who is willing to join you in your venture. Perhaps your potential partner is someone you have known for years, someone you recently met at a conference or someone who saw your profile on a job networking site.
The two of you may share the same vision for the future of your business, and you are eager to get started. However, before you take any steps forward, you have some difficult questions to answer.
PG&E pays $1 billion to municipalities
The beleaguered Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) power utility has been blamed for power lines and business practices causing massive fires here in California. While it filed for bankruptcy protection in January, the company has announced that it will pay $1 billion to 14 municipal agencies and jurisdictions to help rebuild.
The breakdown
Age discrimination still casts a shadow in a robust economy
Americans are living longer these days, and many look to stay employed past the traditional age of retirement, either because of economic necessity or because they enjoy working. Despite the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, there is mounting evidence that some employers or hiring managers are adhering to an old habit of avoiding new hires who are middle-aged and up, particularly women.
In one comprehensive study, there were 40,000 instances where researchers filed fake applications of varying ages for low-skill jobs like administrative assistants, janitors and retail clerks. Overall, the older the fake applicant got fewer callbacks with the worst numbers going to the oldest fake applicants.
Assessing and addressing the impact of paid leave
Paid-leave and parental-leave policies are becoming increasingly common, either through states with leave policies in place or offered as part of employment packages. These can provide many welcome benefits, including retaining top-tier talent. However, temporary or long-term holes in staffing will likely have a broad impact on a business.
Now researchers have published a study that looks at the impact of these increasingly common extended leaves of two or more weeks by members in teams or workgroups. The study surveyed 310 employees and found:
Creating a business legacy
Those who build businesses sometimes console themselves about the hard work paying off by handing the successful company to their children and even subsequent generations. This was an easier task for past generations for a variety of reasons, but it is still possible to do it.
Business experts suggest five issues to consider when assessing whether passing the business makes sense to the owner and potential beneficiaries.
Is your business ready for a civil lawsuit?
As a small business owner in California, you deal with legal matters every day, including contracts, employment law and other issues. Because of this, you may be unable to avoid conflicts or disputes, and these can sometimes be difficult to resolve.
The last thing you want is to get involved in something that will take time, money and resources from your business. Few things can do this more completely than a lawsuit. While dealing with business litigation is likely not on your bucket list, it might be the next logical step if you have exhausted other ways to resolve your disputes.
San Francisco considers buying PG&E
Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) is being held responsible for the California wildfires of 2017 and 2018, which has led to the utility giant to declare bankruptcy. In light of this development, San Francisco city officials are the option of taking over PG&E or parts of it. The city believes this would reduce the cost of power delivery, improve reliability and continue the sustainability goals it has set for itself. It would also avoid reliance upon the embattled utility whose future is far from certain.
Three options for moving forward
