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Federal Appeals Court Finds Town’s Decision Not to Reappoint Employee on FMLA Leave Lawful

The town of Kingston didn’t violate the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) or state disability discrimination laws when it decided not to reappoint an employee on FMLA leave to her position after her predetermined term expired, the U.S. 1st Circuit Court of Appeals (which covers Massachusetts employers) recently ruled, upholding a lower court’s opinion. […]

4 Simple Steps to Improve Employee Retention

The United States is still in the thick of the Great Resignation, and companies are feeling the strain. A combination of economic factors, the aftermath of a pandemic, and a workforce with more options than ever has left thousands of companies desperate to find new employees. But as any good HR department knows, there’s a […]

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An Easy Fix to Too Many Tabs

Many browser users struggle with a common problem: a multitude of open browser tabs. Fortunately, there’s a simple solution that can help clean up browser windows and organize frequented pages. The Impact of Too Many Tabs Although it’s a minor issue, having a large number of browser tabs open can have its drawbacks. For one, […]

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Why Meaningful Learning Can Yield Meaningful Results

In 2022, with the average employee focusing on any 1 task for just 3 minutes, employers must find ways to make information fresh and fun and steer away from the traditional dry lectures and draining assessments. Additionally, in a recent study, nearly 55% of respondents indicated that a people strategy with a solid training process […]

Discriminating Droids: What Employers Should Know About Artificial Intelligence

A growing number of employers are turning to artificial intelligence (AI) to help with selecting the best job candidates. Although it can make the decisions easier by reducing the amount of work required to find a great employee, some commentators are increasingly concerned about the potential for discrimination or disparate outcomes as a result.

How to Address the Great Resignation from Within

The recent resignation rates present a significant challenge for employers to attract and retain workers. When high-achieving, admired employees resign, coworkers and managers experience various feelings, especially those associated with uncertainty. Managers are responsible for executing processes and supporting teams and, therefore, must manage their reactions and strategically navigate an employee’s resignation to positively impact […]

My Work Rule Is Legal Today, But What About Tomorrow?

Whenever the White House switches from one party to the other, there are risks because new appointments to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) mean changes will occur in how it interprets and enforces the National Labor Relations Act (Act). Based on a recently issued notice and invitation to file briefs, all signs indicate we’ll […]

Don’t Forget the Chat Feature on Videoconferencing Tools

Teams engaged in external calls with customers, vendors, business partners, or others should leverage the built-in chat features present in most videoconferencing tools to help recreate some of the in-person conversation from the pre-COVID days. Sidebar Conversations in a COVID World While many are enjoying the freedom and flexibility that come with working remotely, when […]

The Importance of Manager Body Language

Body language can have a powerful impact, whether conscious or unconscious, when communicating with others. This idea often comes up in the context of job interviews; for example, interviewees are coached to lean in toward interviewers, make eye contact, and avoid fidgeting or looking at their watch. Understandably, interviewees tend to heed this message because […]

Conjunction Junction, What’s Your Function? Apparently, Deciding Harassment Cases

The words “and,” “but,” and “or” are conjunctions. In case you’ve forgotten, Schoolhouse Rock taught many of us in grade school that conjunctions link words, phrases, and clauses together to form sentences. But in case you were sleeping in class that day, the Minnesota Court of Appeals recently provided a great crash course when it […]