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.

FLSA Lawsuits—Throttle ‘The Big Three’

Wage and hour just shouldn’t be that hard, but the lawsuits keep coming, and the dollar amounts are staggering—especially when class actions amplify fees, fines, and judgments. What’s the problem? A number of factors make wage and hour a challenge: Many of the decisions about overtime, break time, meal time, and hours of work are […]

New FMLA Regulations Issued by DOL

Final regulations under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), were issued Friday by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). The new regulations allow employers more control over when employees can take leave. As expected, the new regulations cover the recently enacted leave benefits for family members of both seriously injured or ill service members and […]

Election Day Brings Milwaukee Employees Sick Leave Benefits

While much of the focus on the recent election has been on the results of the presidential and federal and state legislative races, in Wisconsin, city of Milwaukee voters also passed a binding referendum creating an ordinance providing sick leave benefits for all employees working within the city. Effective immediately, the ordinance is being enforced […]

Holidays 2008 Survey Results

The results from this year’s HR Hero annual holidays survey are very similar to years past and it doesn’t appear that the number of holidays granted in 2009 will be different than in 2008 or previous years. The one difference is that July 4, 2009 will be on a Saturday. Because of that, many of […]

Federal Contractors Required to Use E-Verify System

Update: E-verify deadline moved to September 2009 Starting January 15, 2009, federal contractors and subcontractors will be required to begin using the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ (USCIS) E-Verify system to ensure their employees are eligible to work in the United States. New E-Verify regulations (PDF) On June 6, President George W. Bush signed an […]

HR Managers to CEOs: Your Pay is ‘Above Rate Range’!

By BLR Founder and CEO Bob Brady Last week BLR CEO and founder Bob Brady asked you to take a brief survey on HR’s role in executive compensation and the current economic crisis. Your responses, as usual, were thought provoking. Poll results HR managers responding to last week’s poll were nearly unanimous in condemning C-level […]

Paid Decision-Making Leave—a Better Approach to Discipline?

Given the questionable effectiveness of the “suspend without pay” approach, employers should consider Paid Decision-Making Leave (PDML). It’s more respectful—and more effective, says attorney Allison West. West, who is principal of Employment Practices Specialists LLC, an employment law training and consulting firm in Pacifica, California, recommends the PDML program first described by performance management consultant […]

You: ‘You’re Suspended!’ Employee: ‘Thanks, Boss!’

What can employers do when a disciplinary suspension is seen as a gift? Today’s expert offers practical discipline techniques. Most companies have progressive disciplinary policies for the right reasons: to provide managers and HR with the tools they need to make fair, consistent, and legally defensible employment decisions, says attorney Allison West SPHR. But sometimes […]

A Hiring Tip That Can Keep You Out of Court

In a down economy, it’s no secret that it can be hard for jobseekers to find new employment. And, as a result, rejected candidates might be more likely to put up a fight—and file lawsuits. So it’s more important than ever for employers to make sure they’re doing everything right.