Author: Stephen Bruce, PhD, PHR

HRDA’s Top Ten—As ‘Voted’ on By You

By BLR Founder and CEO Bob Brady For the final e-pinion of 2008, we thought we’d share the HRDA top 10—actually your top ten, since we ranked them based on reader interest. Topics run the gamut from the technical—How to Conduct EEO Investigations—to the slightly snide—Wellness Even the C-Suite Can Understand—to the overconfident—”Oh, sure, She’s […]

What Are HR Managers Worth?

As we come to the end of this tumultuous year, it might be a good time to ponder your worth as an HR manager. Today’s Advisor gives you some statistics from BLS and BLR, to get you started. The federal government’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) provides a wealth of data on salaries for HR […]

2 Words that Mean Interview Success—’Drill Deeper’

Yesterday’s Advisor covered two deadly sins of interviewers. Today, we’ll talk about a third sin—failing to drill down to the unvarnished truth—and a tip about a product specially designed for the small HR department. Any job candidate with an ounce of sense has prepared answers for the obvious questions about job qualifications. You still have […]

3 Deadly Sins of Interviewers—and How to Avoid Them

Interviewing and hiring the best “talent” for your organization is probably your most important task. And yet, time after time, there’s that sinking feeling after just one day—bad choice. Want to avoid that? Avoid these three deadly interviewing sins. Fortunately, it’s not that hard. Deadly Sin #1—Failure to Prepare Before you start recruiting you need […]

Immigration News Update: No-Match & I-9s

A federal judge has rejected a request by the federal government to push up the timeline for deciding a case involving a controversial rule on the steps employers should take when they receive a No-Match letter—indicating that the information submitted for an employee fails to match government records. Now, the decision won’t be handed down […]

Forbidden Questions—The Bad and the Ugly

By BLR Founder and CEO Bob Brady Our recent column about forbidden interview questions asked readers to send in some examples, and send you did! This week we’ll share your horror stories and in a future issue, the “good” questions and comments. So here are the worst or most humorous questions readers submitted: “If you […]

Key Metrics Prove HR’s Value to the C-Suite

It’s all too easy to embrace metrics so fully that your job consists entirely of coding, tracking, analyzing, and defending your metrics. Whoa! Pick a few meaningful ones and let the rest go. A good metric is one that provides decision makers with the data they need to make fact-based decisions, says BLR’s The HR […]

The Gift That Keeps on Giving: Tax Trouble

Considering gifts for your employees this holiday season? Maybe a turkey or ham? Or perhaps a gift card to a local department store? Be sure you consider the tax implications before you give. Believe it or not, the Internal Revenue Service rules vary depending on the type of gift.

Can Metrics Really Measure HR?

It may take bit of a leap to embrace metrics, but once you do, the benefits are almost immediate, says HRMetrics.org. And if you don’t provide management with metrics, watch out for your job. HRMetrics.org, an organization that helps organizations measure HR, offers two very pragmatic reasons that metrics make sense: 1. Measuring—just the act […]

Making Referral Programs Pay–Tips and Sample Policy

Yesterday’s Advisor covered VistaPrint’s very successful employee referral program. Today we’ll look at program tips from The HR Red Book® and a sample policy. In planning your referral program, says The HR Red Book® (formally known as What to Do About Personnel Problems in [Your State]), keep these tips in mind: Incentives can include gift […]