Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
President Barack Obama is once again using executive action related to the pay American workers earn. A White House fact sheet says the actions are aimed at fighting pay discrimination and strengthening enforcement of equal pay laws. In one action, Obama signed a presidential memorandum instructing Secretary of Labor Tom Perez to establish new regulations […]
Your next workplace robot may not sweep the company floor or assume a manufacturing function. Instead, it may be advising the C-suite! That’s right! Your next robot may handle your company’s legal and litigation issues as “Robot, Esq.,” according to an article by Josh Blackman, JD, who specializes in the intersection of law and technology.
Researchers at Vanderbilt University say they can jolt your workers into high productivity and performance, essentially making them “oops”-proof. But you may have to change your dress code to do this.
Why would you install a 90-inch big-screen TV on your plant floor? Won’t workers just tune in to Sports Center or talk shows and be distracted? No, according to a company that says more media in the factory actually increases collaboration, engagement, and production performance.
It took just under a week for the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to take in enough H-1B visa petitions to reach the statutory cap for fiscal year 2015, which begins on October 1, 2014. The USCIS announced April 7 that it received sufficient petitions to meet the caps of 65,000 visas for the […]
In yesterday’s Advisor we presented several key questions and answers from EEOC’s new guidance on religious discrimination. Today, more from the guidance, plus we announce a free webcast on building a WOW! Recognition program. [Find more questions and answers here] Can an employer exclude someone from a position because of discriminatory customer preference? No. If […]
Business Shutdowns and Furloughs It should be no surprise that many employers have sought creative work arrangements in order to weather bleak times without resorting to morale-killing layoffs. Furloughs, temporary shutdowns, and reduced-hour schedules are common workplace solutions. However, the intricacies of the FLSA make these solutions tricky. The salary basis test is not satisfied […]
by Dan Oswald Vince Lombardi once said, “I think coaching is teaching, see? So I don’t think there’s any difference whether you teach on the football field or whether you teach in the classroom. They’re both exactly the same. It’s a question of . . . a good teacher puts across what he wants to […]
IRS on April 4 said rules that do not distinguish between same- and opposite-gender married couples in tax and federal retirement plan provisions will be in effect retroactive to June 26, 2013. This date is when the U.S. Supreme Court held in U.S. v. Windsor, S. Ct. 2675 (2013) that the lack of recognition of […]
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has issued helpful guidance on how federal employment discrimination law applies to religious dress and grooming practices. Here are highlights of the guidance. In most instances, federal law requires employers to make exceptions to their usual rules or preferences to permit applicants and employees to observe religious dress […]