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Not ‘Discipline’ … but ‘Opportunity to Improve’

Yesterday, we presented attorney Jathan Janove’s suggestions for dealing with employees who say, “My aberrant behavior was caused by my disability.” Today, we’ll give you more of his tips—plus an introduction to an upcoming California-specific ADA/FEHA training session.

Appraisals—Worth Doing Right (Yes, It’s Possible)

In a yesterday’s Advisor, BLR Legal Editor Holly Jones, JD, explored why the performance review has become so unpopular. Today, her practical advice on making your performance reviews more meaningful, plus an introduction to a unique guide just for smaller—or even one-person—HR departments. No Surprises, Please One of the most-cited problems with performance appraisals is […]

Getting your staff to work as a team is tough but essential

by Dan Oswald The other day my 19-year-old daughter told me, “It takes teamwork to make the dream work.” I’m sure she didn’t come up with that on her own, but it was new to me. Teamwork is defined as a “cooperative or coordinated effort on the part of a group of persons acting together […]

SEC to Examine if Advisers Are Misleading Clients About IRA Rollovers

Registered investment advisers and broker-dealers that may be misrepresenting their credentials or the benefits and features of individual retirement accounts will be targeted by the Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations of the Securities and Exchange Commission, based on the initiatives listed in a Jan. 9 release of the agency’s 2014 examinatfion priorities. The so-called […]

Should We Ditch the Dreaded Performance Appraisal?

  In today’s Advisor, BLR® Legal Editor Holly Jones, JD, outlines challenges of appraisal systems and offers tips for making them meaningful. Don’t worry, she says, skepticism about appraisals is not unusual. A Google search on performance appraisals will return numerous articles calling for the death of the performance review, a defunct management ritual that […]

Do Your Supervisors Commit Any of These 10 Sins?

Let’s jump right in. Sin #1. Making Unlawful Preemployment Inquiries That’s an interesting accent you have. Where were you born? Do you have any children? If so, will you have any daycare problems? By the way, we’re all about diversity here. Inappropriate questions during interviews and other preemployment contacts are a primary source for claims […]

Prohibited employer actions under ADA/FEHA

Ensuring that disabled employees are not discriminated against is one of the goals of both the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and California’s Fair Housing and Employment Act (FEHA). This goal is accomplished through not only defining what it means to be disabled and what must be done to accommodate those with disabilities, but also through specifically outlining the actions that employers cannot take without violating the law.