Author: Stephen Bruce, PhD, PHR

The FCRA Dance—Steps Are Easy, Mastery Hard

“To avoid employee problems, avoid problem employees,” says attorney Lester Rosen. That means background checks, and that means engaging in the delicate dance of FCRA. FCRA (Fair Credit Reporting Act) is a bit of a misnomer, says Rosen, because it’s not limited to credit reports—it also covers other information employers want, including public records, employment, […]

Evil HR Lady: Are Some Women Just Too Delicate For the Workplace?

By Stephen D. Bruce, PHR Editor, HR Daily Advisor Just My E-pinion A recent article on our HR.BLR.com website prompted quite a response by Suzanne Lucas who blogs as Evil HR Lady. “Oh, cry me a river” she said over suggestions that employers take steps to ameliorate off-site harassment of female employees. Our writer, who […]

Stephen Bruce Named One of Top 25 HR Digital Influencers for 2011

The HR Daily Advisor® announced today that its editor, Stephen Bruce, PHR, has been named one of the Top 25 Digital Influencers for 2011 by HRExaminer. The list places Bruce in the company of HR leaders such as Kevin Grossman, Trish McFarlane, and Sharlyn Lauby. “The people on the list are (quantitatively) the most widely […]

Taking An Interest Gets Better Results

Many times a supervisor faces serious obstacles (real or imagined) in the effective leadership of his or her department. Here are some of the excuses supervisors commonly given along with some solutions: Employees are people with certain specific functions to perform, but they are not machines—they’re people with feelings and emotions. People like to be […]

Hiring Teens? Conduct Extra Harassment Training First

Because of their age and lack of experience in the working world, teen employees may be particularly vulnerable to harassment, and may not know what to do if harassment occurs. In today’s Advisor, what to do to protect young workers, and an introduction to a new downloadable Sexual Harassment Essentials Kit. Especially if you’re planning […]

Psychological After-Effects

A disaster or tragedy is not over for workers simply because the event has ended, says the American Psychological Association. While humans are remarkably resilient, not everyone bounces back from a dreadful event with equal speed. As many as 20 percent of catastrophe survivors develop full-blown post-traumatic stress disorder, a clinical condition characterized by flashbacks, […]

Is Your Photocopier a Security Risk?

Your new copying machine may be keeping copies of records that have been scanned into the copier’s hard drive. You can’t access those records directly, but someone could remove the drive and copy your confidential records.

Gays and Lesbians Are Not in a Protected Class … or Are They?

Title VII does not prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation. However, individuals who identify as gays, lesbians, or transgendered have successfully asserted claims of discrimination under Title VII. The claims are made on the basis of an employer’s gender stereotyping of characteristics or traits associated with a particular gender. For example, a federal court has […]

No Overtime for UPS Supervisor, Court Rules

Yesterday, we looked at the case of Taylor v. United Parcel Service, Inc., in which longtime UPS supervisor David Taylor claimed he was entitled to back overtime pay. Today, the ruling of the California Court of Appeals