It’s almost time for our Canadian friends to grab some Mountain Dew and Little Debbies and dust off those DVDs of Harold and Kumar go to White Castle – recreational marijuana will soon be available nationwide. The Cannabis Act Bill-C45, more commonly known as The Cannabis Act, was passed in the Senate last week and is expected to go into effect on October 17th. The measure specifically allows the possession, growth, and sale of marijuana for adults, though some provinces have unique regulations. Quebec and Manitoba, for instance, are banning home cultivation entirely. Hiring Sprees: As the Mar... view article details

Job descriptionParalegals are responsible for handling a variety of tasks and providing support for the lawyers they work for. Under the direction of an attorney, they work to resolve routine legal issues. They help lawyers to research laws, judicial decisions, articles, treaties, and other legal documents that can be applied to cases. They may also be responsible for preparing written reports to assist lawyers in handling cases. Paralegals hold an organizational role in coordinating the activities of the law office and its employees, and also in the filing of financial records and case docume... view article details

Job description Lawyers act as both advisors and advocates to their clients. They represent either the defense or prosecution side in criminal and civil trials. They are responsible for presenting evidence and arguments that best support their client. Lawyers advise their clients regarding a multitude of issues in both business and personal matters. Lawyers will usually specialize in a certain area of law, such as healthcare, probate, international, and environmental law, among others. Most lawyers work in private practices dealing with either criminal or civil law cases. The National Associa... view article details

Q: Is it legal to give hourly employees reviews more frequently than salaried personnel?I work for a nationwide industrial company that seems to have no set timeframes for performance reviews and pay increases for salaried employees. Yet the company has very strict wages and review periods for hourly employees. Salaried employees' wages and benefits vary vastly across the country; they seem to hinge on individual negotiations between local managers and personnel. I have watched hourly employees get regular reviews and wage increases while salaried personnel in the same location were completely... view article details

Let’s face it. People get to a point in their careers when they want to see more dollar signs. If your chosen profession isn’t paying as handsomely as you’d like, it might be time to consider a career change. This kind of professional shift typically means going back to school, but the return on investment may be worth your time. Based on Salary.com data, we've provided 10 jobs that tend to pay out over $75,000. We’ve also included job descriptions for each one so you can start to evaluate whether a career change may be right for you. 1) Web Software Developer: $78,653 A Web Software Develop... view article details

Q. I recently changed jobs, and my new employer refused to honor their verbal salary offer. Asking for a written agreement would have been out of the ordinary for the position I accepted, so I didn't even consider it. Would depositing my paychecks harm any legal actions I may take? Besides looking for another job, what should I do?A. It's never a good idea to accept a verbal offer. Some employers make verbal offers, but its always a good idea to tell an employer you will formally accept the offer only after they send you the offer in writing. If an employer for some reason doesn't make a writt... view article details

Q: At work, two departments have two separate requirements. One requires a four-year bachelor's degree with a lower starting salary than the other, which requires only a two-year associate's degree. Is this appropriate?A: I know of no legal precedent requiring employers to pay someone with a bachelor's degree more than someone with an associate's degree. If your company has a compensation strategy that pays its employees based on competence and skill sets, it is possible that someone with an associate's degree would get paid more than an employee with a bachelor's degree.I can't say whether it... view article details

Q: Are verbal agreements legally binding? I was recruited by my current employer through a management recruiting firm for a lateral position. The recruitment came with a verbal agreement that I would move into my supervisor's position in two to three years, after he moved back to the division headquarters. Now that he's moving back, the new plant manager has decided not to honor that agreement and the HR manager tells me no one is guaranteed a promotion.A: I'm not a lawyer - and I don't play one on TV - but I never take verbal agreements seriously. If your supervisor planned to move you into a... view article details

 At the end of the performance review, you and your manager will sign a form documenting the results of the meeting and citing changes and plans for the future. Your manager will also collect your self-appraisal to submit to the human resources department with the other paperwork for your employee records.Employers keep records of performance reviews for their protection in case of contested terminations, failure to promote, and contested training opportunities that could arise in the future. Your employee file protects you as well since it can prevent unfair assessments and ratings in future ... view article details

Productivity bonuses have their roots in the days when manufacturers rewarded hourly workers for speeding up their work pace. For instance, a worker who finished rolling 100 packages of shrink-wrap would earn a productivity bonus because an increase in personal efficacy meant a greater rate of output - and more profit - for the company.No longer confined to hourly workers, productivity bonuses are now being used throughout the payscale as rewards for performance and efficiency.In a survey of 783 employees across diverse companies, 20 percent of executives said they are seeing productivity rewa... view article details