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.

How to Halt ‘Pattern Absence’ Abuse Under FMLA

Once employees are certified for intermittent FMLA, the Monday-Friday absence pattern begins, and there’s nothing you can do, right? Not so, says HR Manager Barbara Dahlen. Yesterday’s Advisor featured Dahlen’s tips for managing intermittent leave abuse. Today, she tackles pattern absences. Dahlen, who manages HR at Bellefontaine Habilitation Center in St. Louis, asked her audience […]

Hot List: Bestselling “Business Motivation” books on Amazon.com

Amazon.com updates its list of the bestselling books every hour. Here is a snapshot of what is hot right now, this Monday morning, November 2, in the “Business Motivation” section of the “Business and Investing” category. 1. Presenting to Win: The Art of Telling Your Story, Updated and Expanded Edition by Jerry Weissman. Teaches presenters […]

‘I’ve Learned How to Manage Intermittent Leave Abuse’

Has anybody out there had problems with intermittent leave? HR manager Barbara Dahlen asked. Her audience’s response at the recent SHRM Annual Convention and Exposition in New Orleans was loud and long. “Oh, yes!” It took her a couple of years to figure things out, she says. “You can’t fix intermittent [leave] abuse overnight. But […]

OSHA Going for Record Fine Against BP

Signals that the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is ramping up enforcement became clearer with the levying of a record $87,430,000 proposed penalty against BP Products North America Inc. on October 30. The previous largest penalty, $21 million, was issued in 2005, also against BP, according to OSHA. OSHA levied the proposed penalty […]

Your HR Department 2009 Survey Results

Each year we survey our readers to find out more about them – and let them find out more about each other. Most of you wear many hats and compared to previous years’ results a number of you appear to have added more in 2009. At the same time, many of you have fewer people […]

Hiring on Gut Alone? Get Data for Better Results

By Eric Herrenkohl, president, Herrenkohl Consulting Just My E-pinion When it comes to recruiting, most managers trust their gut, but they’d get better results if they gathered data to support their instincts, says consultant Eric Herrenkohl. Herrenkohl is founder and president of Herrenkohl Consulting, a firm that helps small and mid-sized businesses build “A” player […]

Congressman Introduces COBRA Subsidy Extension Legislation

Update Dec. 21, 2009: President signs bill including COBRA subsidy extension Representative Joe Sestak (D-Pennsylvania) introduced the Extended COBRA Continuation Protection Act of 2009 (H.R. 3930) this week in the U.S. House of Representatives. The proposed bill would extend the original federal COBRA subsidy created by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), […]

Reference Checks Without Legal Repercussions

In yesterday’s Advisor, we covered the first three steps for successful background checks. Here are steps 4 and 5, along with an introduction to a unique program to help with policies from reference checks to termination. (Click here for steps 1, 2, and 3.) Step 4: Verify Credentials Many employers require applicants to have a […]

Bad Hires—HR’s Most Costly Mistake

Are there any HR mistakes as aggravating, time-consuming, money-losing, and lawsuit-threatening as making a bad hire? It can mean wasted training and coaching, disgruntled colleagues, work undone, angry customers, and a likely lawsuit when you are forced to let the person go. The best prevention? Meaningful background checks. The best way to avoid bad hires […]