Author: jessica

You Can Have Your Cake and Eat It, Too (If You’re Creative)

By Todd Thomas Just My E-pinion In this era of tight finances, Todd Thomas suggests that a little creativity will allow you to maintain corporate charitable contributions and management training retreats on a zero-dollar budget. (You might have to buy lunch.) Most organizations are finding they have to cut back on “non-essentials” like charitable giving […]

CDC’s Flu Face Mask and Respirator Recommendations

Yesterday’s Advisor discussed the issue of face masks and respirators and H1N1 “swine flu.” Today, we’ll look at the CDC’s specific recommendations and find out about a special training tool for helping all your employees prepare for a flu pandemic. CDC has issued the following recommendations for face mask and respirator use in preventing infection […]

“No-Match” Rule Officially Dropped

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has officially dropped the controversial “no-match” rule, which required employers to fire workers if there was a discrepancy between a worker’s Social Security Number (SSN) and official government records. The rule also imposed penalties on employers who didn’t fire employees if the discrepancy wasn’t quickly explained.

Will Face Masks Save Employees from Swine Flu?

The swine flu predictions are flying in all directions—from “no worries” to “half the population will be infected.” If you assume the middle ground is likely, should you be breaking out respirators or other protective gear for employees? CDC’s not sure. It might seem like a no-brainer to get everyone in face masks or respirators […]

Acceptable Affirmative Phrases for Discussing Disabilities

Sometimes it’s hard to know how to communicate with or assist     co-workers with disabilities. Over-eager assistants do more harm than good, while others, concerned that they will say the wrong thing, say nothing—further isolating people with disabilities. Using affirmative language is the first step in communicating well with people with disabilities, says DOL’s Office of […]

How to Create a Disability-Friendly Workplace

In today’s world, simply complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) isn’t enough for many employers. They want to be more proactive in creating a disability-friendly workplace. Today, BLR’s experts offer some tips. First of all, the following indicators show that an organization is willing to “walk the talk” of a disability-friendly workplace: The […]

Timekeeping and Payroll: The 9-to-5 Trap

Most employees today don’t punch a time clock; they generally work a set schedule, such as 9 am to 5 pm. Because these employees work a regular schedule, many employers don’t bother to track their time (or require the employees to track their time). This means that each paycheck reflects pay for the time scheduled […]

New Survey Says Pay Violations Rampant; DOL Stepping Up Inspections

In response to the published results of a recent survey of low-wage workers in Los Angeles, New York and Chicago, U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis announced that the Department of Labor (DOL) will be putting at least 250 more wage and hour inspectors on the ground to audit employer compensation practices. In other words, […]

Come Explore the ‘New’ BLR

By BLR Founder and CEO Bob Brady It’s with (slightly) mixed emotions that I announce that Business & Legal Reports, the company I founded 32 years ago, has changed its name to Business & Legal Resources and launched a new corporate website at www.BLR.com. You may be wondering—why the change? The switch from “Reports” to […]