Author: Stephen Bruce, PhD, PHR

Summer Hiring Season—Child Labor Myths Busted

In yesterday’s Advisor, we busted 11 myths about wage and hour. Today, we tackle myths about child labor—particularly appropriate with summer hiring season approaching—and we take a look at a unique FLSA audit guide. [Go here for Myths 1-11.] Myth #12—There is no restriction on hours of work for workers age 14 and over. Busted. […]

Wage and Hour Mythbusters

Wage and hour should be the easiest job in HR, but there are a surprising number of misconceptions, and there is a surprising amount of misinformation being disseminated by savvy-sounding "experts" wandering the Internet chat sites. Cruise HR on the Internet, and you’ll be stunned. Mixed in with accurate answers are other answers—all delivered with […]

How To Keep Former Employees Quiet

“Rant sites” are one of the darker aspects of social media—they’re where people go to air their grievances in a public online forum. And if someone has just left your company under less-than-optimal circumstances, the focus of their rantings could well be you.

Survey Says: Most Offer Disability Insurance, but with Longer Waiting Periods

By Stephen Bruce, PhD, PHR Just My E-pinion LOGO Our ongoing BLR/HR Daily Advisor Employee Fringe Benefit Survey Series recently queried readers about disability and group insurance. Seventy-seven percent of respondents offer short-term disability, and 82 percent offer long-term disability. Meanwhile, 5 percent offer group auto insurance, 5 percent offer group homeowners’ insurance, and 13 […]

Teaching Managers to Resist Retaliation

Yesterday’s Advisor exposed the danger zones of retaliation. Today, how to teach managers to avoid retaliation and a look at a unique 10-minute training system that keeps managers and supervisors out of legal hot water. How can you keep your managers out of the retaliation danger zone? First of all, they have to recognize the […]

Retaliation—Easy to Avoid, Hard to Stop

Retaliation—surely the dumbest mistake managers make, and one of the most expensive. Fortunately, it’s also the easiest mistake to avoid. Peter worried that a dangerous chemical was being used without proper protection, and he reported it to the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). His boss, Sheila, was not happy. “Peter’s wrong,” she said. […]

FMLA: Who’s an ‘Employee,’ and How Far Is 75 Miles?

Yesterday’s Advisor hit the first two prongs of the FMLA eligibility test. Today, we’ll cover the "50 employees within 75 miles" prong and we’ll get an introduction to the popular "FMLA Bible." The third part of the three-prong test for employee eligibility (go here for the first two prongs) has nothing to do with the […]

FMLA: The ‘Simple’ Three-Prong Test Isn’t

There’s supposed to be a simple three-prong test for FMLA eligibility, but it’s not simple—and there are four prongs. The first prong, which isn’t usually mentioned, is that the person has to be on the payroll. The person can be part-time or full-time, but he or she has to be on the payroll. Once that […]