Author: Stephen Bruce, PhD, PHR

Embrace Your Workers’ Curiosity (No More ‘Just Do It!’)

I’ve been reading Tell My Sons … by Lieutenant Colonel Mark Weber, says business and leadership blogger Dan Oswald. After a routine Army physical revealed Weber had stage IV intestinal cancer, he began a battle for his life that he ultimately will lose. When Weber realized he wouldn’t be able to conquer his cancer, he […]

Supreme Court in McCutchen: Clear Plan Terms Prevail Over Broad Equitable Remedies

Clear plan document terms in ERISA group health plans are the best defense against legal claims asserting broad equitable remedies, the U.S. Supreme Court reinforced in an April 16 decision. In its holding, the Court affirmed that equitable theories, such as make-whole, common fund, unjust enrichment and double-recovery doctrines should not be allowed to override […]

What Is the Role of Reinforcement in Effective Training?

Content and delivery are not necessarily to blame when training fails to drive long-lasting behavioral change. More often, the blame rests with a lack of reinforcement back on the job, says Mike Ryan, senior vice president of Marketing and Strategy for Madison Performance Group (www.MadisonPG.com). “Training is a key business imperative, but the long-term results […]

FLSA’s Emergency Exemption May Apply to Some Boston Employees

Emergency situations — such as the April 15 explosions during the Boston Marathon — can result in employees performing multiple job duties. For example, a store manager may have spent time cleaning up glass and debris in and around the store. This type of work does not normally qualify as the manager’s duty; however, the […]

ACA play or pay: Employer Q&A

Employers making the decision to play or pay under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) have a lot of questions right now because the mandate to provide insurance to full-time employees goes into effect January 2014. In a recent CER webinar, Ashley Gillihan explained some of the factors that employers should consider when making this decision. […]

Train Managers to use SMART CONTACT with Problem Employees

When an employee does not perform well and a manager needs to put something in writing, whether for a performance review or between evaluations, attorney Marie Burke Kenny recommends keeping two acronyms in mind: CONTACT and SMART. Kenny, appearing again in today’s Advisor courtesy of California Employer Resources®, is an experienced employment law attorney in […]

Tough Love: Your Employees Won’t Tell You, But I Will

Attorney Jonathan Segal, SHRM’s top-rated speaker, has been listening to what employees say about HR and compensation, and he’s distilled what he learned into 15 principles all managers should abide by. Segal, who is a partner with law firm Duane Morris LLP in Philadelphia, shared what he’s found in engagement surveys, discussions with CEOs and […]

Perks, Insurance, and Atypical Benefits–How Do You Compare?

  Beyond health insurance and retirement benefits (covered in previous surveys), the number one perk provided by the employers responding to our survey was paid holidays, with 91% percent of them offering it. Other highlights: Flextime is offered by 53% of respondents. About 33% relax their dress code in the summer, at least for some […]

Are Your Managers and Supervisors Trained to Deal with Problem Employees?

Courtesy of California Employer Resources®, Marie Burke Kenny, an experienced employment law attorney in San Diego, answers questions with valuable training information about dealing with problem employees. Do you have an overarching piece of advice to give to employers, right off the bat? “Starting right at the interviewing stage, the most important thing employers and […]

8 Steps to Stop Bullying in Your Workplace

Yesterday’s Advisor featured attorney Allison West’s take on bullying in the workplace. Today, her guidance for dealing with the bully, plus an introduction to the all-compensation-in-one-place website, Compensation.BLR.com. West, who is principal at Employee Practices Specialists in Pacifica, CA, delivered her suggestions for dealing with bullying in the workplace at the SHRM Employment Law and […]