Author: Michael Cardman

SHRM 2011: Three Rules for Email

Email has made it easier than ever for plaintiffs’ attorneys to discover wrongdoing and prove liability, an expert said today at the Society for Human Resource Management’s annual conference in Las Vegas. “The ‘e’ in email is for ‘eternal evidence,’” said Mindy H. Chapman, Esq., president of Chicago-based training firm Mindy Chapman & Associates LLC. A company that has 1,000 employees, each of […]

Appraisals—For Fun and Profit?

Can appraisals be fun? Well, probably not, but they can be less uncomfortable and more effective. Why do managers shy away from appraisals? They don’t like to deliver negative news. Here’s a simple system that will help. Goals: The Critical First Step Take the time to set meaningful goals for each employee. Without goals and […]

SHRM 2011: Don’t Just Sit on Your Employee Handbook

How’s this for an illustration of how quickly developments can pop up that may require you to revise your employee handbook? Speaking at the Society for Human Resource Management’s annual conference today, Christine V. Walters discussed a new ruling only five days old, in which a federal appeals court held that an overly broad confidentiality policy […]

SHRM 2011: Overlap of ADA, FMLA a Top Concern

If attendance at a conference session is any indication, HR professionals remain concerned about how to navigate the intersection of the Americans With Disabilities Act and the Family and Medical Leave Act. Now that the Americans With Disabilities Amendments Act has altered the definition of “disability,” it is more common than ever for the  laws […]

Emergencies: Preparing for the Unpredictable

Recent weather disasters have made it abundantly clear that no company, no matter how large or small and no matter the location, is safe from unexpected crises. Tornadoes, wildfires, earthquakes, floods…the list is lengthy, and no one is invulnerable.

9 Vital HR Reads: What You May Have Missed

We’ve posted some important articles this year covering everything from the latest ADAAA regs, to how fire an employee without getting sued. Here is a list of the top 9 articles you can’t afford to miss: Employees Don’t Leave Jobs—They Leave Managers Employees don’t leave jobs, they leave managers. It’s an old saw, but it’s […]

Top 10 Must Reads from HR Daily Advisor

The HR Daily Advisor community of over 200,000+ HR professionals has spoken. Here are the most popular articles on the HR Daily Advisor website so far this year, just in case you missed them. The 9 Essential Skills of Human Resources Management – How Many Do You Have? When interviewing a potential new hire, it’s […]

Claims Appeal and Review Obligations Relaxed for Plans, Insurers

Plans and insurers will have an easier time complying with health reform’s internal appeals and external review rules, under rules issued today by the U.S. Departments of Labor, Treasury and Health and Human Services. The changes, such as dropping the requirement for plans to display diagnosis and treatment codes on initial and final notifications of […]

NLRB Proposes Quicker, Easier Path for Unionization Elections

As if union elections weren’t a hassle already, the NLRB (National Labor Relations Board) has proposed new procedures to “fix the flaws” in the current system. Here’s what they want to accomplish: The proposed amendments are designed to fix flaws in the Board’s current procedures that: build in unnecessary delays encourage wasteful litigation reflect old-fashioned […]

Supreme Court Raises Bar for Class Actions

In a ruling that will make it more difficult for employees to mount massive class action lawsuits against employers, the U.S. Supreme Court has reversed class certification previously granted to 1.5 million female Wal-Mart employees alleging sex discrimination against the retail chain. Overturning a 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals opinion, the Court found that […]