Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
By BLR Founder and CEO Bob Brady Two weeks ago, BLR’s founder and CEO Bob Brady, waxed eloquent in this space over the many good things about his iPod®, but also expressed his e-pinion that “serious” workers don’t have talk radio and music on while they work. Most readers disagreed. I never cease to be […]
Well, apparently Michael Scott has moved to Boston and obtained a medical degree. Last week, the Boston Globe reported that a neurosurgeon at Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital was suing for gender discrimination. Her evidence? The antics of her boss, the chief of neurosurgery, who keeps an 8 inch sculpture of a penis and a […]
In the last Advisor, we considered compensation challenges related to emergency closings. Today: Related hassles and the problem solver thousands of HR pros use to help them through it. In an emergency closure, ordinary procedures are usually disrupted. Here are key processes you need to have in place to keep things going: Notification Notification is […]
A San Diego judge has ordered Starbucks Corp. to pay its California coffee baristas a caffeine-jolting $100 million in back tips and interest, after finding that the coffee chain violated California wage and hour law by allowing shift supervisors to share in employee tips. The lawsuit was filed as a class action in 2004 by […]
Resources for Humans Managing Editor Celeste Blackburn reviews the book Snakes in Suits: When Psychopaths Go to Work by Paul Babiak, Ph.D. and Robert D. Hare, Ph.D. Review highlights how book teaches employers to avoid hiring psychopath employees by giving interview tips. Babiak is an industrial and organizational psychologist, and Hare is the author of […]
We have a lot of production workers, several “working foremen,” and a few supervisors. A foreman has said that because of the number of people working under him (10 employees), he should be paid as a supervisor. So now we’re trying to sort out the distinction between workers, working foremen, and supervisors. Is there a […]
The new National Defense Authorization Act expands the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) to permit two new types of workplace leave for family members of injured military personnel and military reservists called to active duty. Here’s an overview of the requirements.
In February, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) published a long-awaited proposal to update and retool Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) regulations. The lengthy proposal covers notice requirements, medical certifications, eligibility, the definition of “continuing treatment” for a serious health condition, fitness for duty, and more. The changes are generally welcome news for employers.
A new case puts the focus on the importance of complying with Labor Code paycheck rules, particularly the requirements that employees have a free means of cashing their paychecks here in the state (although checks do not have to be issued by a California bank) and printing on the paycheck the name and address of […]
With April unofficially “national tornado and storm month,” this is a good time to think about having a policy for handling externally caused shutdowns. Here are things to think about. If a company opens an hour late because of a storm, should an employer pay employees who show up earlier because they didn’t hear the […]