Author: Stephen Bruce, PhD, PHR

Hangovers, Sick Days Often Follow Company Holiday Parties

Do you see an uptick of absences the day after your company holiday party? According to a recent survey, many times, alcohol is to blame for the missed day. According to a recent survey from Caron Treatment Centers, 64 percent of Americans have called in sick or know someone who has missed a day of […]

Readers’ Stories: Bad Interviews

Here are two readers’ tales of applicants who failed during interviews. Story 1: Not Dressing (or Acting) the Part “I interviewed a young lady for a front desk position for a modern, well-established IT company.  “The applicant came in smacking her gum wearing a bright orange micromini dress, bangles that clinked loudly, and basketball sneakers. […]

Simple Calculations for Intermittent/Reduced FMLA

It should be easy to calculate FMLA leave time, but the devil is in the details, and FMLA’s details can be exasperating, to say the least. There are two keys to the intermittent/reduced leave calculation, says attorney Drew Alexis Alexis, Of Counsel at the Kinaga Law Firm in Los Angeles, offered his FMLA tips at […]

DOL Reminds Employers Seasonal Jobs Still Subject to FLSA

Just because it’s the holiday season does not mean employers can relax their vigilance on wage and hour issues. The U.S. Department of Labor has its own list of who’s been naughty or nice (by its standards), and employers that run afoul of the agency could find a lump of coal in their stocking. Yesterday, […]

You Can Be Held Liable if Your Workers Don’t Practice What You Preach

To briefly review the case: The construction company in question builds and installs water supply and sewer pipes. On July 10, 2009, while the company was performing trenching work to install water service lines at a Boston worksite, an OSHA compliance officer arrived for an inspection. The officer found several safety violations along with conflicting […]

C-Suite—What to Say and What NOT to Say

Csizmar, who is founder and principal of CMC Compensation Group, offered his tips at a recent webinar sponsored by BLR. The Recommendation to Management Finally, you get to make your presentation to senior management, says Csizmar. The trick is to get them nodding their heads first before your recommendations see the light of day Tell […]

Former Verizon Managers Lose Bid to Block Conversion of DB Plan

Large corporations thinking about transferring hefty defined benefit plan payouts to insurance companies for them to manage now have judicial support for that approach. A federal judge in Texas has denied a bid by retired Verizon Communications executives to block the company from making a proposed shift off its books of $7.5 billion in pension […]

Extended FMLA Leave May Be Protected under ADA, Court Says

Employers need to keep in mind that if an employee uses all of her allotted leave time under the Family and Medical Leave Act, it does not necessarily follow that she has lost her entitlement toward job protection. In fact, once an employee has exhausted FMLA or employer-provided leave, the employer must assess whether the […]

How to Recognize Disengagement–and How to Reverse It

Special from the Advanced Employment Issues Symposium, Las Vegas In yesterday’s Advisor consultant Andrew Botwin offered his take on employee engagement; today, he reveals 14 signs of disengagement, plus we get an introduction to the all-comp-in-one website, Compensation.BLR.com. Signs of Disengagement Botwin, who is CEO of SPC (Strategy People Culture) Consulting Florham Park, New Jersey, […]

Do Your Workers Practice what You Preach?

The construction company in question builds and installs water supply and sewer pipes. On July 10, 2009, while the company was performing trenching work to install water service lines at a Boston worksite, an OSHA compliance officer arrived for an inspection. The compliance officer saw an employee climb out of an unprotected trench that was […]