The Securities and Exchange Commission reportedly is investigating an allegation of retaliation in the firing of former PepsiCo General Counsel Maura Smith, citing internal documentation a WilmerHale lawyer mistakenly sent The Wall Street Journal. Smith had investigated business practices at Wimm-Bill-Dann, a Russian company PepsiCo acquired in 2011, based on an employee's accusation of financial wrongdoing.

New York-based Creative Spirit aims to create 130,000 jobs in advertising and other creative fields by 2020 for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The nonprofit will encourage and help the private sector to create employment opportunities for people with autism and other conditions.

The average employee works for approximately three hours of a normal eight-hour workday and would likely be more productive by working fewer hours, according to researchers. Shorter work weeks will help employees become more productive and maintain a better balance within their lives, said Treehouse CEO Ryan Carson.

The first order of business to comply with wage and hour law is to meet requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act, experts say. But a business must also be aware of state law and choose the safest route by using a single set of rules that is most employee-friendly.

Rick, Oscar, Wheat, Rye, Malt and Barley are feline employees at bourbon distilleries in Kentucky, keeping the grain free of rodents and greeting guests along the state's Bourbon Trail. Rick was a stray and has feline immunodeficiency virus, and now he is "definitely spoiled," said Brett Connors, brand ambassador for Castle and Key.