Daniel Brant liked to curl his eyelashes and wear mascara and heels when he went to his hair-stylist job at the Chop Shop on the Philadelphia campus of Temple University. When his boss transferred him to the salon’s South Street location and later fired him, he sued for discrimination.

Asperger’s syndrome may be a covered disability under the ADA, a federal court hearing an Ohio case has concluded. Asperger’s is a developmental disability characterized by “severe and sustained impairments in social interaction,” according to the American Psychiatric Association. The condition is permanent and is similar in some respects to autism.

Q. I sold a real estate property to my son on the installment basis. Is there any tax problem if he resells it at a gain?

You are no doubt familiar with Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. It prohibits various kinds of discrimination and also spells out tight deadlines for when employees must file complaints with a state discrimination agency or the EEOC. But there is another avenue employees can use to get into federal court, as long as race is at the core of the discrimination claim: Section 1981 of the Civil Rights Act.

As people gain experience, they look back on their successes and overrate their judgment, says Malcolm Gladwell, distiller of social trends and author of The Tipping Point. Research shows that even when playing games of pure chance, people carry an illusion of control, thinking they can win because they’re “better.” A simple explanation: overconfidence.

One of the cardinal rules of hiring is that you should ask all applicants the same questions. Even good rules can sometimes be broken—when it makes good sense. For example, if you have an open position and are interviewing both internal and external applicants, it’s perfectly logical to ask internal applicants different questions, since they’re already familiar with your operations.

Set aside any notions you might have that the federal bureaucracy is inherently dysfunctional. In fact, Uncle Sam’s best agencies have a thing or two to teach private-sector employers. Here are eight lessons employers can learn from the biennial agency-by-agency ranking of federal employers by the Partnership for Public Service and American University’s Institute for the Study of Public Policy Implementation.

Suppose you converted your IRA to a Roth IRA just before the bottom fell out of the stock market. Based on the inflated value of the account on the conversion date, you were staring down the barrel of a tax disaster. But now you see signs of a market rebound. And you’d like to take advantage of the Roth IRA setup for all the same reasons that attracted you to it in the first place. Strategy: Reconvert your IRA.

Greening your business is not only one of the latest marketing trends, but it’s also a smart move, especially during an economic downturn. Here are three tips to lessen your carbon footprint and save your business some money:

A new study estimates that nearly two-thirds of Facebook users access the site at work. On average, they spend 15 minutes on the site during work hours, and the electronic back-and-forth could represent as much as 1.5% of an employer's productivity losses. The good news: You can stop it.

Deductions for employee travel expenses are allowed if they are related to business activities. Strategy: Accelerate business trips planned for January into December. This enables you to write off the travel expenses in 2009 instead of waiting until 2010.

Whirlpool wants to be the No. 1 innovator among big-ticket appliance makers. To achieve its goal, it has a formal process for screening ideas. What you can learn about innovation from Whirlpool:

Critics often accuse direct marketing copywriters of hype and puffery, but I think the real B.S. artists in marketing today are wine and beer writers.

How well can you capture the attention of someone receiving your memo? Your memo will capture readers if it includes one of the three R’s in its opening line: It should recommend something, reveal information or request that someone act. Test your skill by picking the best opening sentence in this example:

Some employees with genuine disabilities may think they can use their physical or mental conditions as an excuse to break workplace behavior rules. They can’t. As long as those rules are clearly explained and enforced equally, you don’t have to listen to my-disability-made-me-do-it excuses. You can lower the boom.

Here are some ways to get closer as part of your customer relationship building efforts:

Show you are responsive to consumers by venturing into social media with a plan. Example: When McDonald’s launched its first blog, customers bombarded the company with complaints about toy Hummers in its Happy Meals. Unprepared, the company was slow to respond. Lesson: Social media is a powerful relationship-building tool, but only if you’re ready to listen and act on customers’ comments ...

When you're not on top of your e-mail, you feel out of control. It can also torpedo your career, since people associate responsiveness with competence. It is possible to clear out your e-mail inbox—and keep it clear—daily. But you must be willing to change your behavior. Here are four steps ...

A progressive discipline system is the best way to correct employee performance problems. It’s also the best way to protect against wrongful termination lawsuits. It allows you to ensure that any employee fired because of inferior performance was treated fairly and in accordance with your company’s policies. Here’s a five-step model for progressive discipline:

Considering the toll the obesity epidemic takes on Americans’ health, you’d think Dr. Jason Newsom’s bosses in Panama City would be happy with his campaign to educate the public about the dangers of obesity. Fat chance. While attacking sweet tea, burgers and fries was all right, it was doughnuts that doomed the doc.

Is it time to take health care reform into your own hands? Strategy: Investigate the benefits of Health Savings Accounts (HSAs). Although these tax-favored accounts have been slow to catch on with the public, it might make sense for your situation. If it does, sign up for an HSA whether or not health care reform is enacted.

Employers that support pregnant and working mothers fare better if they do get sued by someone who believes she suffered pregnancy discrimination. That’s because courts are reluctant to believe that an organization would suddenly become biased after demonstrating a history of progressive policies for pregnant women and working mothers.

We present a case study on how one growing business boosted sales lead generation by recharging employees’ creative batteries.

During a recession, every organization seems to face its own unique HR challenges, and that’s leading to creative solutions and new ways of thinking. Here are five best practices that can help comp and benefits pros make changes that contribute to their organizations’ survival.

Times are changing in the world of workplace immigration law. Employers now have to complete a new version of the I-9 Form. The feds just launched “a bold new audit initiative” to punish employers who hire illegals. And starting Sept. 8, thousands of federal contractors are required to use the electronic E-Verify system. Result: a greater risk for immigration-related trouble than ever before ...