Category: HR Management & Compliance

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.

Changes coming to Indiana’s background check law

Provisions of Indiana’s new background check law, which limits the information criminal history providers may give to employers, go into effect July 1. Under the law, criminal history providers won’t be able to provide information related to the following: An infraction, arrest, or charge that didn’t result in a conviction; An expunged record; A record […]

Employee Handbooks: Are They Really Necessary?

Even though it isn’t a California or federal law requirement, many employers have an employee handbook or at least a few written company policies. Exactly where do those policies come from? The answer to that question is easy―the HR department. But where does HR get the policies that govern the company? The answer to that […]

Accommodations Are a Pain, but Litigation Is a Bigger Pain

Reasonable accommodations are a pain and are subject to abuse, says Attorney Lawrence Postol, but litigation over the failure to provide accommodations, with a trial by jury, is a bigger pain and subject to greater abuse. Postol, who is a partner in the Washington, D.C., office of Seyfarth Shaw, LLP, offered his Americans with Disabilities […]

Skinny Plans: Adhering to the Letter (But Not the Sprit) of Health Reform

An increasing number of employers are examining providing a low-benefits health plan that covers only preventive health services but not high-price major medical claims. Offering this type of low cost or “skinny” plan is allowed under the health reform law. The question is: Will skinny plans trigger a large-employer exodus to de minimis coverage, and if so, […]

What policies support workplace investigations in California?

Conducting workplace investigations is an arduous process, but it can be made easier by having the right policies in place to support the investigation process. In California, where the laws are often more strict than in other states, this is especially important. Policies set the stage for workplace investigations The best place to start a […]

North Carolina’s unemployment overhaul to take effect July 1

by Richard L. Rainey North Carolina’s law overhauling the state’s unemployment system will take effect July 1, bringing about a small tax increase for many employers and a reduced maximum weekly benefit amount for claimants. It also will change the circumstances in which a claimant is disqualified from benefits. During the economic recession, the state […]

Engagement–That Simple and That Difficult

Oswald, CEO of BLR®, offered his thoughts on leadership and employee engagement in a recent edition of The Oswald Letter: If you read the Harvard Business Review, you might have noticed a recent article proclaiming “The New Employer-Employee Compact.” The article, like all the other articles and books written on the subject, reminds us that […]

Interesting Apps Available Now for HR

In yesterday’s Advisor, consultant Kim Seals offered tips on new technology in HR; today, we present her examples of new technology that are ready now, plus an introduction to the guide especially for smaller or even one-person HR departments. Seals, a senior partner with Mercer Atlanta, offered her tips at WorldatWork’s annual convention and exhibition, […]

From the Smog to the Cloud–Embracing New Technology

Big Data, social media, the cloud, what’s up for HR? asks consultant Kim Seals. One big change is that as we move from a licensed model to a subscribed model, cloud/crowd sourcing becomes possible. Seals, a senior partner with Mercer Atlanta, offered her tips at WorldatWork’s annual convention and exhibition, held recently in Philadelphia. The […]

Nondisabled Employees May Challenge Medical Exams

Employees need not have a disability to challenge the legality of an employer’s required medical exams, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled in a case of first impression. At the same time, the court also reaffirmed the ability of an employer to request an examination because it was related to performing a […]