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States challenge EEOC guidance on criminal background checks

by Joshua Wood The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency responsible for enforcing federal employment discrimination laws, periodically issues enforcement guidance to aid employers in complying with the laws it enforces. The guidance is usually published on the agency’s website at www.eeoc.gov and can be an indication of how the EEOC will interpret or […]

Learn How New IRS Guidance on Windsor Affects Cafeteria Plans, FSAs, HSAs

On Dec. 16, the IRS issued clarifications on how the U.S. v. Windsor ruling on same-gender marriage affects the administration of cafeteria plans, flexible spending accounts and health savings accounts. IRS Notice 2014-1 is in the form of 10 questions and answers regarding midyear election changes, FSA reimbursements and contribution limits for HSAs and dependent […]

6 Reasons We Hire the Wrong Employees

All employers want to hire the best employees. So why is it that we often find, despite our good intentions and thorough recruiting process, that we still end up with employees who are not a good fit for our organization? This wastes time and money. Why do we do it?

Worksite Privacy from Social Networking to Social Security

Happy Holidays to all our readers from the Advisor Team: Amanda, Chelsea, Kate, Rafael, and Steve! [Go here for privacy issues 1 to 4.] 5. Social Networking Sites Employees have increasingly been utilizing social networking sites for a variety of uses, both personal and professional. Although these sites can be beneficial, their use can also […]

Be Careful When Training Older Generations

Today’s Advisor contains answers from our “Ask the Expert” feature on HR.BLR.com.. The question is, “Is it permissible to exclude employees from training if they are expected to retire soon?” Here is how our expert responded: Especially in light of the economy, it is understandable that an employer would want to invest its training dollars […]

Where to Start with Your Job Descriptions? Use Our Questionnaire

In Yesterday’s Advisor, we covered the basic pitfalls in job description writing. Today, a handy job analysis questionnaire you can use, plus good news—there’s a checklist-based audit system for you to use to evaluate all your HR practices. Here’s a basic questionnaire that you can use to write new job descriptions (or to review existing […]

‘Tis the season to do right by your employees and customers

by Dan Oswald Have you ever thought about what employees really want from a company and a manager? What is it that really makes employees feel satisfied in their work? Among other things, having a manager who cares about them as people is part of being happy at work. So when I heard about Liberty […]

10 Questions for Aligning HR Metrics with Business Goals

HR metrics are only helpful if they're measuring the things that matter. The HR metrics need to be aligned with the big picture: they need to help the company achieve its strategic goals. To do that, the HR team must fully understand the strategic goals and direction of the business. Next, the data must be […]