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.

Super Safety Training Sessions Part 2: Techniques

To liven up that safety meeting, remember this refrain: Personalize, relate, repeat, rephrase, and for goodness sakes, be enthusiastic! “How do I make my safety training meetings more effective and memorable?” That’s the question our training experts get repeatedly. Yesterday, we began to answer it, using guidance provided in the BLR® program, Safety Meeting Repros, […]

H-1B visa deadline looms

by Elaine Young Employers wanting to hire foreign workers through the H-1B visa program need to be ready to file petitions with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on April 1. U.S. businesses use the H-1B program to employ foreign workers in specialty occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise in specialized fields. The first […]

Colorado civil union law means change for employers

The Colorado Civil Union Act, which takes effect May 1, requires changes in employer-provided insurance plans and makes changes to the state’s workers’ compensation law. Effective for plans issued, delivered, or renewed on or after January 1, 2014, a party to a civil union may cover his or her partner as a dependent. Employers providing […]

Super Safety Training Sessions, Part 1: Preparation

Imagine two training rooms, side by side. Both host safety training meetings. In Room A, the instructor drones on and on, doing all the talking, while trainees check their watches, look longingly at the exit, or just slouch at their desks with a 10,000-yard stare in their eyes. When the session breaks, there’s a dash […]

Court Rejects EEOC Guidance on Employee Alcohol Testing

An employer’s random alcohol testing of probationary employees did not violate the Americans with Disabilities Act, despite federal agency guidance to the contrary, a federal district court has ruled (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. United States Steel Corp., No. 10–12 (W.D. Penn. Feb. 20, 2013)). EEOC sued on behalf of a class of employees, arguing […]

How the Wizard of Oz Can Help Us Be Better Managers

What can managers learn from the well-known characters in the Wizard of Oz? A lot, says business and leadership blogger Dan Oswald, who is CEO of BLR®. In a recent edition of The Oswald Letter, he explained how the Wizard of Oz can help us to be better managers. Here’s what Oswald said: Recently, an […]

‘Have Your Employees’ Backs’ on Back Safety Training

Preventing back injuries in your workplace is one of the most effective cost-control and productivity-enhancing efforts you can undertake. Training workers in back safety is an important part of that effort. Preventing back injuries To avoid injuring your back in the first place, use these back safety techniques: Adjust your workstation to fit. If your […]

California workers’ compensation reform: SB 863 brings permanent disability changes

Previous workers’ compensation laws in California created a situation where the costs associated with providing medical treatment and benefits to injured workers and administering workers’ compensation claims had begun to rise significantly. If costs were permitted to continue to rise, employers would be faced with increases in their workers’ compensation insurance rates, which would add […]

Can You Ask Applicants About (Religious) Schedule Conflicts?

In yesterday’s Advisor, we found out that veganism might be a religion. Today, religious schedule conflicts and accommodation, plus the best way to find out if your managers are following accommodation and other critical guidelines—the HR Audit. The EEOC guidelines state that an employer’s use of inquiries that tend to reveal an employee’s or applicant’s […]