Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
How far does harassment have to go before it’s illegal? "You don’t care," says Attorney Jonathan Segal, "because long before it’s illegal it’s inappropriate, and you want to stop it there." Segal, a partner in the Philadelphia law office of Duane Morris LLP, offered his remarks at the recent SHRM conference in New Orleans. In […]
Teens tend to be especially vulnerable to sexual harassment. They are new to the ways of the workplace and they are reluctant to report wrongdoing. However, although they may not be sure what their rights are, judges and juries surely will be. We turned to The HR Red Book® by BLR® for guidance. "Because of […]
Many companies are making major decisions about their compensation programs without even running their plans by HR, says Attorney Lisa Van Fleet. You can’t let the financial people make those decisions, she adds. Yesterday’s Advisor featured Van Fleet’s advice for dealing with deferred compensation changes. Today we’ll get her specific recommendations about compensation decisions, and […]
This week (Oct. 5-9) is Customer Service Week, a time to thank those with an often-thankless job.
“Every day,” says attorney Lisa Van Fleet, “we get asked things like, ‘How can we eliminate our match? What if we change our benefits program midyear? How do we manage a reduction in force? How do we put together severance pay packages?’” Times have changed for every company. Since the economic downturn, not surprisingly, most […]
Just My E-pinionBy Nicole Capehart, HR Manager, American Realcorp Use short-term rewards to reap long-term benefits, says HR manager Nicole Capehart. She has achieved a 48% drop in absenteeism for essentially the cost of a few dozen donuts. Fresh out of college with my new degree in hand, I took my first HR job, ready […]
Under both the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), employers cannot require employees returning from leave to submit to a medical examination unless such an examination is “job-related and consistent with business necessity.”
In yesterday’s Advisor, we talked about helping new supervisors with tricky disciplinary issues. Today, we’ll tackle termination, and take a look at a unique new "boot camp" for supervisors. Supervisors need clear guidance and strong reminders about their HR responsibilities. You can’t use the "hope system" with compliance issues (“We hope they’re doing it right.”). […]
It’s clear that your supervisors are the first line of defense in preventing lawsuits, but don’t forget, that means they’re the first line of offense as well—the people in position to make the biggest and most costly mistakes. Your supervisors are good people, well meaning and capable. But especially when they are new, they don’t […]
The California Supreme Court is currently considering the scope of employer meal break obligations under state law. The question before the court is whether employers must only “provide” a meal break, or “ensure” that employees take meal breaks. There’s no indication of when the court will be making its ruling.