Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
By BLR Founder and CEO Bob Brady BLR’s founder agrees that commitment is crucial for business success, but questions whether HR managers can be “commitment coaches” for upper management. In a recent column in Workforce Management, Gershon Mader and Josh Leibner, consultants with Quantum Performance, Inc., wrote about “commitment” (not the kind that women look […]
So you think you’re safe because you document every employment action? Read this lawsuit-losing list of common errors, and see if you’re “guilty” of any of them. You’ve been sued by a former employee and now you’re facing the music in court. You’re not worried, though. You’ve documented why you fired the guy, and you’re […]
The California Supreme Court has issued an important decision that makes it clear that employers cannot restrain an employee’s ability to compete, regardless of how reasonable or narrow the restrictions. As a result of this ruling, employers should do a thorough review of their employment agreements to ensure they do not contain unlawful noncompetition provisions.
Diversity consultants want to get your managers to bare their true feelings about race, gender, and sexual preference. “That’s a very dangerous approach,” says today’s expert. Beware of diversity training that’s really a therapy session, encounter group, or other forum for employees to “let it all hang out,” says attorney Lindsay Harris. Harris is senior […]
With GPS technology, we can know where—exactly where—our employees are, 24/7. Is it an invasion of privacy to ask questions based on that information? Today’s expert sorts out the issues and offers practical advice. Employer surveillance of employee activities using global positioning system (GPS) or similar technology should not violate employee privacy if it’s used […]
A few of our employees call in sick on a semi-regular basis with legitimate but unpredictable health issues relating to conditions like epilepsy and asthma. Is this time off covered by FMLA/CFRA? The employees can’t give us much advance notice because their symptoms come on so suddenly. —Anonymous Many employers struggle with whether absences due […]
By BLR Founder and CEO Bob Brady Spying on employees can take many forms, some of which are very intrusive. Yet, most employers do spy some, and so do we, says BLR’s founder and CEO Bob Brady. A series of postings in Workforce Management began a few months ago when the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported that […]
Reviewing our records recently, we found a provocative article on job descriptions by Shelburne, Vermont, consultant Scott Delman, author of “How to Mean Business, Water Cooler Wisdom” and other books. Good things bear repeating … and sharing. So let’s share some of his thoughts with you now. Job descriptions are all too frequently written like […]
Retention and productivity are always challenges, especially with budgets shaved to the bone. So here are 13 tips on beating the budget crunch from BLR’s 99 Ways to Keep Employees Happy, Satisfied, Motivated and Productive, by noted HR author Peter R. Garber. 1. Have a Family Day at Work An employee’s family provides critically important […]