Sharon Thomas
Senior Editorial Director
Recent Articles
Silicon Valley giants offer new settlement in anti-poaching lawsuit
21 January 2015
Four tech giants sued for agreeing not to hire away each others’ workers have offered a $415 million settlement following the rejection of a smaller one last year.
Staffing buyer fined after contingent disabled in workplace accident
14 January 2015
A water bottling plant in Florida was fined $84,000 by the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration following an accident that permanently disabled a contingent worker.
Regulatory watch: Worker safety and misclassification
23 December 2014
OSHA has fined a nail polish manufacturer and two staffing firms for exposing workers to dangerous chemical hazards and vapors from flammable liquids; Rhode Island has established an anonymous telephone tip line for allegations of employee misclassification.
EU: Restrictions on temporary agency work must be lifted
17 December 2014
European Court’s advocate general affirms European Union member states must remove restrictions on temporary agency work in national legislation and collective agreements.
Electrical shock burns temp, leads to fines for buyer, staffing firm
10 December 2014
The US Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued fines totaling $150,000 to a contingent workforce buyer and its staffing provider for failure to provide adequate training and enforce proper equipment usage.
US Supreme Court rules no pay for security screening time
10 December 2014
In a unanimous decision, the US Supreme Court ruled time workers spend waiting to go through Amazon warehouse security screening is not compensable.
Unlocking knowledge in China with ‘witkey’
3 December 2014
Contingent workforce managers doing business in China need to familiarize themselves with an online staffing ecosystem unique to the country.
OSHA cites manufacturer for serious, repeat violations
19 November 2014
A manufacturing facility has been cited by OSHA for numerous repeated safety violations and faces fines of more than $300,000. The company has been placed in OSHA’s Severe Violator Enforcement Program. Its staffing provider faces one citation.
Big data tool to optimize strategic workforce plans
8 October 2014
Comparisons and benchmarking might be feasible at the macro level, but those who need to dig deeper into their numbers have been largely challenged. One firm is looking to bridge the gap.
Legal Update: Calif. governor signs joint liability bill
8 October 2014
California Gov. Jerry Brown on Sept. 28 signed into law a bill that imposes joint liability on buyers of staffing services for staffing firms’ wages and hours and workers’ compensation violations, as well as health and safety compliance.