Archives

The Wedding, Part II

Well, it’s a little difficult to write about the perils of working in Scranton with Michael Scott as your boss when the entire office is attending a wedding, but here goes. After watching last night’s repeat episode of Jim’s and Pam’s wedding, I can’t say that getting married to a coworker is always a bad […]

Hire Based on Data, Not “Gut”

On Fridays, California Employer Daily will often be given over to an “E-pinion” column by Jennifer Carsen, Esq., ERI’s Managing Editor. If you’ve got an idea for a 500-700 word column on any topic of interest to California employers, we’d love to have you as a guest columnist. Just describe your idea in a brief […]

Criminalization of Employment Law: A New Risk for Managers?

by J. Robert Brame, McGuireWoods LLP In the 1990s, there was a growing concern about the “criminalization” of corporate law, in part justified by the passage of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, which placed real criminal risks on top managers. While Sarbanes-Oxley was no threat to HR managers at first, innovative prosecutors and plaintiffs’ attorneys are changing […]

What Can HR Managers Learn from Shirley Sherrod?

Just My E-pinion By Stephen D. Bruce, PHR Editor, HR Daily Advisor The unfortunate and embarrassing story of Shirley Sherrod’s ouster from the Department of Agriculture by Secretary Tom Vilsack has at least a small silver lining—it’s a stern reminder to HR managers to look before they leap. Sherrod was sacked after a video of […]

What to Say—Excessive Absenteeism, Patterning, and Intermittent Leave

In yesterday’s Advisor, we got Paul Falcone’s advice on just what to say when employees say “It’s off the record.” Today, we have his words for excessive absenteeism and FMLA abuse, plus an introduction to an extraordinary program to simplify policy writing and management. Falcone, a prolific writer on HR topics and a popular speaker, […]

Different: Escaping the Competitive Herd

Employment law attorney Michael Maslanka reviews the book Different: Escaping the Competitive Herd: Succeeding in a World Where Conformity Reigns but Exceptions Rule by Youngme Moon. Different: Escaping the Competitive Herd by Youngme Moon has turned out one of the best-written business books I’ve read in a long time. Her big idea: Companies compete by […]

SHRM Conference Special: Tough Conversations to Have with Your Employees—What to Say

“Managers and supervisors will instantly call the help desk when they have a computer problem,” says Paul Falcone, “but they are reluctant to ask for help when they face a tough conversation with an employee.” Falcone, a prolific writer on HR topics and a popular speaker, is Vice President, Employee Relations, at Time Warner Cable […]

Departments Release Health Care Reform Regulations on Preventive Care

On Monday, July 19, the Federal Register published interim final regulations from the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS), Labor, and the Treasury requiring new health plans beginning on or after September 23, 2010, to cover certain evidence-based preventive care without cost sharing. In other words, plans cannot charge patients copayments, coinsurance, or […]