The Higher Ed Workplace Blog

The Equality Act of 2019 would amend existing civil rights law to explicitly include sexual orientation and gender identity as protected characteristics. The legislation also amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to prohibit discrimination in public spaces and services and federally funded programs on the basis of sex.

Think of the benefits your organization could realize if all new hires got the red-carpet-treatment — if they felt welcomed, appreciated, engaged and in the know from the moment they accept the job offer until they’re fully acclimated to the organization.

Read an overview from CUPA-HR General Counsel Ira Shepard of some labor and employment law cases with implications for the higher ed workplace. In this edition: retaliatory discharge, First Amendment rights, student vs. employee under the FLSA, and more.

While succession planning is widely used in the corporate world to ensure a pipeline of internal talent is primed and ready to fill the gaps when they arise, higher education has been slow to adopt this philosophy. However, the University of Tennessee has recently begun to tackle the challenges related to a looming retirement boom on its seven campuses with a straightforward, simple, low-cost, replicable succession planning and leadership development model.

The bill, which was first introduced in Congress in 1997 and most recently on January 30, aims to close the gender pay gap by amending the Equal Pay Act. Specifically, the PFA would ban inquiries into job candidates’ wage history, limit defenses against claims of unequal pay, allow employees to inquire about and discuss wages without retaliation, enhance penalties for Equal Pay Act violations, and direct pay data collection and analyses.

“Active shooter situation – campus on lockdown.” These are some of the most terrifying words you could ever hear. Unfortunately, too many campuses across the country have faced this reality. How can campuses prepare for and respond to violence on campus, and what is HR’s role?

Encouragement is essential for employees to feel valued and engaged in the workplace, and leaders and supervisors should always be looking for ways in which they can encourage, affirm, recognize and value their team members. In honor of Employee Appreciation Day, which occurs on March 1 this year, here are 10 ideas for encouraging and recognizing employees on your campus.

At the University of Kansas, many students and university employees climb hundreds of steps up a 400-foot incline, dubbed “The Hill,” to get to class or work. For those with mobility issues, however, this incline presents a challenging navigational puzzle. By partnering with several campus entities, the university’s ADA Resource Center for Equality and Accessibility created the Hawk Route, a three-quarter-mile wheelchair-accessible path leading through five campus buildings from the bottom of The Hill to the top.

Read the latest from CUPA-HR General Counsel Ira Shepard on some labor and employment law cases and regulatory actions with implications for the higher ed workplace.

New research from CUPA-HR sheds light on how the 2008 economic recession impacted student enrollment and faculty composition in higher education institutions across the country.