Author: Stephen Bruce, PhD, PHR

Is a ‘No Jerks’ Rule a Boost for Business—or a Fatal Mistake?

By BLR Founder and CEO Bob Brady BLR’s founder ponders whether a “No Jerks” rule for hiring (and managing) would be a boon for the organization … or an excuse for turning away the people who might benefit it the most. Several years ago. Robert Sutton, a well-known Stanford University Business School professor, published an […]

DOL’s Top Independent Contractor Trouble Spots

As seen in yesterday’s Advisor, the determination of independent contractor status can be tricky. Today: DOL’s top contractor problem spots, and a guide that picks up your FLSA problems before the feds do. The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) points out the following particular problem areas for employers when it comes to determining whether a […]

Sexual Harassment: Recent EEOC Victories Underscore Need for Training and Vigilance

In recent weeks, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has announced a string of victories on behalf of employees in sexual harassment lawsuits. In one case, Specialty Restaurants Corp., based in Anaheim, agreed to pay $625,000 to settle a class action lawsuit charging that female workers were subjected to inappropriate touching, indecent and offensive […]

Are They Really Independent Contractors?

A company has an agreement with workers that labels them “independent” contractors. That means they are, right? These days, the answer is a definite … maybe. These days, organizations frequently try to increase their workforce flexibility and decrease their benefit costs by hiring independent contractors to do required work. All well and good … unless […]

HR Recordkeeping: Bor-ing–But Critical to Fighting Off Lawsuits

Yesterday’s Advisor offered tips for keeping hiring and employment records. Today we tackle termination records and introduce an upcoming audio conference that will answer your specific recordkeeping questions. As mentioned yesterday, attorneys Allen Kato and Trey Wichmann stress the importance of good records in fighting lawsuits. Today, their tips on terminations and termination records litigation: […]

HR Recordkeeping Simplified: What to Keep, What to Toss

How important is it to keep accurate employment records? Not very, some might say, but they’d change their tune as soon as the lawsuits start to fly. Two experts tell what to keep, and where and how long to keep it. Poor or missing records make it hard to defend lawsuits, says attorney Allen Kato. […]

Google Points the Way to Productive Meetings

By BLR Founder and CEO Bob Brady Everyone says they hate meetings—yet they are a staple of 21st century business ritual. If we can’t meet in person, we do them on the phone or, increasingly, through such nifty gadgetry as GoToMeeting or Webex. Today, BLR’s founder and CEO Bob Brady shares what he’s learned from […]

Cyberslander: 6 Ways HR Can Contain It

Yesterday’s Advisor  briefed us on the challenges of cyberslander. Today, recommendations for dealing with it, and a new technological solution to a far older HR problem … writing job descriptions. Here are Attorney Matthew S. Effland’s tips for identifying and managing cyberslander. Effland, an associate at Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C., in Indianapolis, […]

HR’s New Worry: Cyberslander

Technology is everywhere, it’s misunderstood, and it creates a lot of problems for HR managers, not the least of which is an annoying new one–cyberslander. Today’s expert sorts out the challenges. These days, we seem to live on our e-mail, instant messaging, voice mail, Internet, intranet, extranet, cell phone, BlackBerry®, and blogs, says Attorney Matthew […]