Author: Stephen Bruce, PhD, PHR

Transgender Bathroom Battles–Coming Soon to Your Workplace

Yesterday’s Advisor covered many of the issues around bathrooms and transgender employees. Today, some guidelines and tips, plus an introduction to the all-HR-solution-in-one website, HR.BLR.com. Bloomington, Indiana’s Human Rights Commission issued guidelines regarding gender identity, restrooms, and dressing rooms. (See yesterday’s issue for details.) Here’s what they say: If you have single occupancy restrooms, designate […]

Investment Fee Disclosures Leave Most Participants Unmoved

A “snapshot” survey conducted in October found the start of disclosure of fees from retirement plan service providers spurred little change in the behavior of either plan participants or sponsors. A total of 176 defined contribution plan sponsors responded to the Plan Sponsor Council of America’s survey, launched a few weeks after sponsors began disclosing […]

HR’s New Stumbling Block Is the Bathroom?

With states and municipalities passing laws designating gender identity as a protected class and the number of employees self-identifying with gender identity issues increasing, many employers are concerned, especially with transgender employees and bathrooms. Sad to say, that’s where it’s at in HR today, worrying about how to juggle toilets to avoid discriminating on the […]

Courts Penalize Employer for Denial of Intermittent Leave

When a court determines that an employer has interfered with an employee’s right to leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act, the monetary damages can be quite severe. While awards of front pay, back pay and attorney fees are the usual penalties paid by employers found guilty of FMLA violations, FMLA also requires an […]

Employer to Pay $5M To Settle Inflexible Leave Policy Allegations

An employer will pay almost $5 million to settle claims it automatically fired employees who used 12 weeks of medical leave and were not ready to return to work, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced Nov. 9. The settlement resolves claims EEOC filed alleging that the automatic termination policy violated the reasonable accommodation provisions […]

Tips on Getting the Biggest Bang from Your Training Buck

Use these approaches to get the best return on training investments: View training as an ongoing process. Reassess training needs regularly to make sure that current needs—not outdated ones—are being addressed. Seek employees’ input. In addition to asking supervisors and managers to identify skills gaps, talk to individual employees about their training needs and encourage […]

Are You Getting the Biggest Bang for Your Training Buck?

Trainers are left to juggle these competing interests and to justify the company’s continued investment in training. However, trainers can create buy-in by demonstrating the value of training and positioning it as a crucial part of employees’ work, rather than a distraction from it. Anecdotal success stories can help create a positive mindset about training, […]

How Important is it to Provide Training in Conjunction with a Wellness Program?

Training is an essential component of any wellness program. “The education part is big,” says Peggy Cretella, an instructional design manager with Business & Legal Resources. “If you educate people, you empower them to be in charge of their own health” and to make healthier choices. Cretella, who developed the content for the online Wellness […]

Recruiting Trends and Challenges: New Infographic Highlights 2012 Hiring Practices

Which recruiting sources are working best in 2012? Is social media really the best way to find great candidates? A new hiring practices survey conducted by Monster, The HR Daily Advisor and HRhero Line answer these questions, and more. 2012 Monster Hiring Survey – An infographic by the team at HR.BLR.com Full results: Download the […]

2013 Holiday Plans Revealed—How Do You Stack Up?

Most employers offer the “standard six” holidays, but after that, it’s quite a mish mash, say respondents to BLR’s Holiday Survey. For example, for 2012, 93 percent of respondents will offer December 25 off; however, only 43.6 percent will offer December 24. The survey, conducted by BLR’s HR Daily Advisor and HR Hero, was conducted […]