Author: Bob Brady

Lawyers See Easy Money in Wage-and-Hour Litigation

By BLR Founder and CEO Bob Brady Wage-and-hour rules have been around for nearly three-quarters of a century—ever since FDR’s New Deal— so it’s hard to picture them triggering the next wave of employment litigation, but California attorney Marc Jacuzzi thinks otherwise. Litigation Tsunami? “Plaintiffs’ lawyers are leaving the ugly world of discrimination and going […]

‘Knowing and Voluntary’—Tricky Requirements

A waiver in a severance agreement is only valid when an employee “knowingly and voluntarily” consents to the waiver, say attorneys Lloyd Aubry and Armilla Staley-Ngomo. Reaching that standard can be challenging. The rules for waivers under the Age Discrimination and Employment Act (ADEA) are defined by the Older Workers Benefits Protection Act (OWBPA). Rules […]

Workers over 40? Caution’s the Watchword for RIFs

“Companies have to be especially cautious when conducting workforce reductions involving employees older than 40,” says attorney Lloyd Aubry. Waivers can help, but they bring their own legal challenges. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has recently issued a Technical Assistance Document covering waivers, say Aubry and Armilla Staley-Ngomo, both with the San Francisco office […]

Maestro’s Job Description for Managers

In yesterday’s Advisor, Maestro Roger Nierenberg helped flesh out leadership’s “job description” by sharing lessons he’s learned about leadership as the conductor of an orchestra. Today, we’ll take a few more music lessons, and get a look at an extraordinary job descriptions management tool. Nierenberg, an accomplished symphony conductor, has recently released Maestro (Portfolio, Oct. […]

What Can a Maestro Teach You About Management?

In his “surprising story about leading by listening,” Maestro Roger Nierenberg shares penetrating insights about leadership as learned from observing an orchestra at work. In his recent book, Maestro (Portfolio, Oct. 2009), Nierenberg compiles leadership lessons that come from managers who have participated in his “Music Paradigm,” a management training activity he presents using a […]

Healthcare Benefits–How Does Your Company Rate?

By BLR Founder and CEO Bob Brady These days health care is all abuzz with the pending healthcare reform bill in the Senate. Meanwhile, companies are getting walloped by higher than expected costs just when they can least afford it. And you, as an HR professional, are on the front lines. Employers are understandably concerned […]

Put Sharks in Key Positions for 2010

Yesterday’s Advisor featured six of consultant Jon Gordon’s tips for reenergizing employees in a down economy. Today, we’ll look at three more of his suggestions (including one about sharks) and a New Year’s Resolution Special—a webinar all about how you can be a better boss in 2010. [Go here for tips 1 through 6 ] 7. Teach […]

9 Leadership Strategies to Beat the Recession Blues

It’s been a lean time for most companies, and the dark days of the recession have spawned a troubling new issue—widespread loss of employee engagement, says consultant Jon Gordon. “Even if companies haven’t literally lost their employees, many have lost them psychologically,” warns Gordon in his new book, The Shark and the Goldfish: Positive Ways […]