Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
by Molly DiBianca Delaware has joined the ranks of states adopting “ban the box” laws, measures that limit how employers can request criminal history information during the hiring process. Delaware’s law, signed into law by Governor Jack Markell on May 8, makes criminal histories and credit scores off limits on applications for public-sector jobs. Here […]
Vacation time and paid holidays may be a relatively standard benefit to offer to full-time employees, but in the United States, it’s not actually legally mandated. While many employers are well aware of this, it’s important to make a note of, since employees often treat it as a right. In fact, vacation time is typically […]
It’s prudent to pay close attention to travel pay regulations because travel-related issues pose a significant risk for wage and hour claims. This is, unfortunately, an often-overlooked area.
What happens if a manager forgets to inform HR that an employee has absences that could be FMLA-qualifying? Can those absences still be counted against the employee's 12-week FMLA allotment for the year? What about when an employee has an emergency and must take leave immediately but was unable to request it? Can that count […]
[For the beginning of the survey report, go here.] Telecommuting Formal telecommuting guidelines are in place and employees are required to sign a formal agreement for 23.8%. An allowance to cover employee expenses for setting up telecommuting at their home is provided by 33.1%, 40.3% reimburse telecommuting employees for monthly Internet connections, and 54.2% reimburse […]
Performance appraisals—everyone does them, but few think their approach is optimal. What’s happening with appraisals in the real world? What are your competitors up to? Help us find out! Please participate in our brief survey and see how what you are doing stacks up against what other successful companies are doing. We’ll get answers […]
by Randi J. Winter Employers routinely conduct internal investigations in response to allegations of harassment, discrimination, retaliation, theft, and other forms of employee misconduct. Although conducting such investigations can be critical to your continued operations, you should be mindful of the importance of exercising neutrality and fairness during the investigative process. Be thorough, but fair […]
Highlights of our 2014 Perks Survey of over 2,000 employers: Paid holidays is the number one perk. Also in the top five: life insurance, LTD, STD, and paid vacation. For exempt employees, flextime is offered by 60.9%. Other benefits being offered include: Financial planning assistance (51.7%) Telecommuting (49.2%) Legal assistance programs (39.8%) On-site fitness centers […]
Many states have statutes prohibiting discrimination against employees on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. Not all states have such prohibition, and since there is no broad federal prohibition on discrimination by private employers based on either category, that leaves local ordinances to address the issue. A look at what is happening in […]
If you and your employees don’t work directly with company customers, it may seem that customer service training doesn’t apply to you. But it does. Customer service is an issue that involves everyone in the organization. That’s because all employees have customers. If they don’t have external customers, they do have internal customers, otherwise known […]