Author: Stephen Bruce, PhD, PHR

Five Quick Rules for New Supervisors and Managers

The business landscape abounds with HR-related traps for unwary new supervisors or managers, and the stakes are too high to think that they can get trained on the job. In yesterday’s Advisor,  we talked about supervisors and managers who tried to be good supervisors, but their good intentions backfired. Instead, they laid the groundwork for […]

Supreme Court Rejects DOL View; Rx Sales Reps are “Outside Sales” Employees

In a blow to a U.S. Department of Labor position, a divided Supreme Court ruled today that pharmaceutical sales representatives qualify for the “outside sales” exemption of the Fair Labor Standards Act. In an opinion delivered by Justice Samuel Alito, the Court found that under the most reasonable interpretation of DOL regulations, PSRs qualified as […]

Unfortunate HR Rule: No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

“No good deed goes unpunished.” Nowhere is that maxim more applicable than when untrained supervisors and managers try to be good bosses. If you’ve got new, or recently promoted, supervisors or managers, see if any of these situations are familiar: “Do you think you might be depressed?” asks the concerned, but untrained, boss. “I didn’t,” […]

What Does it Take to Be Successful? Ask an Expert

When people ask what it takes to be successful in business, my response is often, “You should ask someone who is,” says business and leadership blogger Dan Oswald. The best way to learn about anything is to ask someone who has been successful at it. Oswald, CEO of BLR, offered his thoughts on business success […]

Battening Down the Hatches to Avoid FLSA Overtime Excesses

The arrival of summer is also a harbinger of weather-related emergencies for many communities. For example, the Atlantic hurricane season kicks off at the beginning of June and barrels toward a peak in late summer and early fall. But with such storms comes the potential for unplanned overtime for police officers, firefighters, ambulance drivers, emergency […]

5 Questions for Avoiding Unpaid Overtime Claim

The idea behind overtime is straightforward, but the actual administration of it is anything but. Attorney Paul Lopez suggests that employers ask themselves five questions to see whether they are vulnerable to overtime-based lawsuits.

Can You Recoup FMLA Premiums from Non-Returnees?

Yesterday’s Advisor clarified rules governing benefits during FMLA leave; today, recouping payments when an employee doesn’t return from leave, plus an introduction to the “FMLA Bible.” When an employee fails to return from FMLA leave, for at least 30 calendar days, the employer may demand payment of its share of the health premiums paid during […]

House Nod on Repealing OTC Rules, Easing ‘Use-it-or-Lose-it’

The rules on how expenditures for over-the-counter drugs are reimbursed and governing health flexible spending account balances still unused at the end of the year could change if a bill the House passed on June 7 is enacted. In a 270-146 vote, the House approved H.R. 436, the Health Care Cost Reduction Act of 2012. […]