Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
Many employers cite employees for violations of “unwritten” company policies that are enforced but not clearly set out in an employee handbook or other well-publicized document. This can be a big mistake. Your supervisors may feel comfortable telling employees that “this is a long-standing unwritten rule” or “just the way things have always been done,” […]
The California Supreme Court has handed down a ruling that could save employers and their insurers hundreds of millions of dollars in workers’ compensation benefits.
Employers actually do have rights to protect themselves from abuse under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). Here’s a list. Since December, the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) has been under review, with employers and labor leaders differing on just what changes should be made. They have generally agreed on one point, however: […]
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division has unveiled a free, new Web-based tool to help employers and employees calculate overtime pay under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The tool provides examples of how FLSA overtime should be completed under some scenarios. The Overtime Calculator advisor computes overtime pay due in […]
In the heat of making an HR decision, are you sure you’ve considered all the key factors? Here’s a tool to help you do it. Anyone needing to conduct an investigation of workplace wrongdoing who read yesterday’s Advisor article on the subject should be grateful to Deborah J. Muller and Michael E. Ferrans. These two […]
You must investigate charges of crime, inappropriate behavior, or harassment in the workplace. Do it wrong, however, and your company may end up as the target. Here’s what two experts say about doing it right. It would be nice if everyone in business was honest, decent, and professional. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. Some employees […]
Consider the following two scenarios: A male employee requests extended leave to provide at-home care to a sick child. Instead of evaluating the request based on his eligibility for leave, the employer questions why the child’s mother can’t care for her. A qualified female employee with two preschool children is considered a “poor fit” for […]
LITIGATION VALUE: $300,000+ Holding a Survivor-like contest to determine who will be recommended for a promotion to regional manager is not going to end well for Dunder Mifflin. At all. If the decision is challenged (which it almost certainly will be) then the company is going to be asked to articulate a legitimate nondiscriminatory reason […]
By BLR Founder and CEO Bob Brady BLR’s founder joins “Michael Scott,” fictional manager of TV’s The Office, in discussing how “gruntled,”, a.k.a. satisfied, workers are, and what makes them so. Are workers at your firm “gruntled” or “dis”gruntled? That is to say, are they happy, satisfied, and motivated, or ready to bolt for the […]
The FMLA is one of the most complex of labor laws, and it soon may become even more so. Here’s a tool for making compliance easier, and to keep up with the changes. Question: Where can a person be classified as a parent without actually being a parent? Answer: In the Family and Medical Leave […]