Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
There are dozens of details to take care of in the day-to-day operation of your department and your company. We give you case studies, news updates, best practices and training tips that keep your organization fully in compliance with ever-changing employment law, and you fully aware of emerging HR trends.
Your settlement costs probably won’t be that high. But the bottom line? You ignore basic wage and hour issues at your peril. You are likely to get sued if you don’t pay careful attention. And these mistakes tend to affect not just one employee, but whole groups of them—which quickly multiplies your liability in the […]
While he was in Birmingham, Alabama, visiting his daughter at college, business and leadership blogger Dan Oswald saw a local newspaper with the headline “Live Generously: How three Gardendale teenagers hope to change lives with new business.” Oswald, CEO of BLR, shared his thoughts about the article in a recent edition of The Oswald Letter: […]
While the ADA Amendments Act made it easier for employees to show that they have a disability, it did not eliminate the requirement, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled in Neely v. PSEG Texas, No. 12-51074 (5th Cir. Nov. 6, 2013). Facts of the Case Jeffrey Neely worked as a control-room operator […]
by Paul M. Saito Governor Neil Abercrombie has signed into law the Hawaii Marriage Equality Act of 2013, which defines marriage in Hawaii as between “individuals without regard to gender.” Hawaii is the 15th state to give same-sex couples the right to marry. The law goes into effect December 2. A special session of the […]
As Microsoft is washing its hands of a controversial employee performance appraisal practice, Yahoo is reportedly adopting it. Stack ranking systems—also known as forced ranking or forced distribution—require managers to rank their employees from best to worst, apply the rankings to a bell curve and use the results to determine pay as well as who […]
Thorough and effective employee training is recognized as a major key to achieving not only compliance with OSHA and other regulations but also the protection of the company’s assets and the workers themselves. Therefore, the managers, supervisors, and safety professionals involved in the training effort should seek to find and use the best tools for […]
Recent rulings by both the California and U.S. Supreme Courts have changed how employers need to approach so-called “mixed-motive” cases, where employers need to understand their potential liability in making hiring or firing decisions about employees who may be in position to bring legal action for employment discrimination.
In yesterday’s Advisor, consultant Dick Sem, CPP CSC, covered warning signs of impending violence; today, the essential components of a workplace violence (WPV) program plus an introduction to the all-things-HR-in-one-place website, HR.BLR.com®. The Four Essential Components of a WPV Program #1. Prevention—the most effective and powerful way to avoid violence Put policies, plans, and procedures […]
Yesterday, we looked at who qualifies as a “Millennial” (or Gen Y) worker—and why they’re fundamentally very different people from your older employees. Today: Tips for helping Millennials adapt and thrive at work.
While most organizations have a fairly robust emergency plan for fire, natural disasters, and spills, they often don’t have a very robust plan for “purposeful emergencies,” that is, violent incidents. And that’s a mistake, says consultant Dick Sem, CPP CSC. Sem’s general observations: Badly handled or emotional discipline, refusal of service, or termination often trigger […]