Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
It’s time to check with payroll to make absolutely sure that you are geared up for the change in the federal minimum wage. The second of three increases will take effect on Thursday (July 24, 2008). The impact on employers may vary depending on the state in which employees work. This Thursday, July 24, the […]
by Alyssa Yatsko Under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), an employee has two years from the date of an FMLA violation to file a lawsuit against his employer. If the violation was “willful,” however, the employee has three years to file the lawsuit. Up until now, the Tenth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals […]
We’re in the process of rewriting our employee handbook, and we want to modify our employee appearance policy. What do we need to consider? We want our employees to look professional, but we don’t want to get caught in a lawsuit. — Ronald W., San Jose
By BLR Founder and CEO Bob Brady BLR CEO Bob Brady’s recent column, BlackBerry® at the Beach, covered excess business use of e-mail off the job. Today he covers the flip side: excess personal use on the job. In my recent column exploring off-the-job use of e-mail (“BlackBerry at the Beach”), I expressed concern that […]
You might have heard that the Supreme Court recently threw out the District of Columbia’s decades-long ban on handguns. Of course, there are limitations. If you are mentally insane or a convicted felon, then you’re out of luck. So, many of our favorites on The Office probably still can’t pack heat into the Capitol — […]
As we saw in Yesterday’s Advisor, when managers have high expectations for their employees and when employees have high expectations for themselves, great things—like high productivity and increased retention—can happen. Here are some tips to build those expectations. Top consultant Susan M. Heathfield, who serves as HR expert for the website about.com, suggests the following […]
It’s been a hot summer here in California—and in many workplaces, the rise in temperature has ushered in a rise in inappropriately dressed or scantily clad employees, which can lead to flirtatious behavior and even to a general decline in productivity and office professionalism. What can you do to keep dress code standards up when […]
M. Lee Smith Web Editor Wendi Watts reviews the book The Truth about Profiting from Social Networking by Patrice-Anne Rutledge. How to use Facebook and other social media websites to communicate with employees, customers, and coworkers. Regardless of whether you are a Facebook addict or are challenged to add an attachment to an email, if […]
Managers’ expectations of their employees—often expressed in subtle ways—are key factors in how the employees perform and how long they stay, says today’s expert, Susan M. Heathfield. It’s called “the self-fulfilling prophecy.” If you have high expectations of your employees, they will change their behavior to meet those expectations, thus fulfilling the prophecy. And, of […]
By Tina Giesbrecht and Lana Jackson McCarthy Tetrault Employers often ask whether they should give employment references to employees and former employees. This decision can be a difficult one with possible negative consequences for either course of action. Whatever decision is made, it’s important to consistently apply one policy regarding reference letters. Q. What are […]