Author: Stephen Bruce, PhD, PHR

Best in Breed Is Out, Integration Is In

The “best in breed” approach to HR automation is out, and integration is in, says consultant Mollie Lombardi. Companies look for best practices, but take that with a grain of salt, she warns. Best practice for another company may not be best practice for your company. You have to find the right processes for your […]

DOL Proposes that 401(k) Service Providers Furnish Fee Guides

Employers struggling to decode the service provider fee disclosures from their retirement plans may be getting some relief. Nearly two years after the U.S. Department of Labor published a proposed rule requiring covered service providers to disclose the cost of what they do for employer-sponsored 401(k)s, the agency is requesting more help for plan sponsors […]

Lessons from Lombardi—The 8-Hour Session

(Oswald, CEO of BLR®, offered his thoughts on Lombardi and leadership in a recent edition of The Oswald Letter.) As a young assistant coach, Madden attended a coaching clinic where Lombardi was the speaker. As Madden tells it, he was quite confident in his football knowledge. Showing up at the clinic, he sat in the […]

Lessons from Lombardi—The 8-Hour Session

Over the weekend, I was watching a piece on legendary Green Bay Packers Coach Vince Lombardi. The documentary chronicled Lombardi’s life growing up in Brooklyn through his storied years as a championship coach with the Packers. As a Packers fan, I’ve read biographies on Lombardi and other books that have discussed the man and his […]

Train Your Supervisors in Supervisory Skills

The material in today’s issue is brought to you courtesy of our sister publication, Compensation Daily Advisor. Your supervisors aren’t technical experts on HR matters, and they’re not going to be, but you can train them to act in a way that preserves HR’s options, says Attorney Mark Schickman, a partner with Freeland Cooper & […]

WA County Will Pay $215,000 to Quell HIPAA Allegations

A county government in Washington state agreed to pay $215,000 in a settlement with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, after its report of a minor breach led to an HHS investigation that found “general and widespread noncompliance” with HIPAA privacy and security rules. The incident originally reported by Skagit County, Wash., in […]

Firing of Formerly Drug-addicted Pharmacist Okay Under ADA

Wal-Mart has successfully defended a putative class action alleging that its failure to employ former drug addicts as pharmacists violates the Americans with Disabilities Act. The retailer was able to show that the lead plaintiff was fired because he was previously charged with forging prescriptions — not because of his history of addiction. The suit […]

Partner or Police: How Is your HR Department Perceived?

Human Resources is as complex as the customers it serves. But, when HR Practitioners lose perspective on where their allegiance should reside, it sacrifices the integrity of the profession and potentially alienates customers. This article will provide tips and suggestions on how HR can gain and maintain trust to gain the ultimate reward of that valued “Seat at the Table.”

FLSA Failures: Youth, Records, Interns, and Deductions

Yesterday’s Advisor covered the first five sins of wage and hour; today, more sins, plus we offer a free white paper that shows you how to focus your compliance training for maximum effect. [Go here for sins 1 to 5] Sin #6. Inappropriate deductions Just because you’re a manager, it doesn’t mean you can come […]

Do You Train Supervisors to, Well, Supervise?

“Sure, you’ve got handbooks, but you need to train your supervisors on the material provisions of your policies and rules, says Attorney Mark Schickman. And they need to understand that policies must be fairly and consistently applied.” While you are at it, Schickman adds, make sure that your practices match your policies. Schickman is a […]