Most Popular

Employers Beware: The Tip Credit Is Back

Hospitality employers take note: The Department of Labor’s (DOL) tip rule has been struck down. The tip credit is a provision of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) that allows employers to pay tipped employees a lower direct wage as long as their tips make up the difference to reach the minimum wage. However, the tip […]

automation

The Fear Is Back: One-Third of Workers Think Robots Will Steal Their Jobs

Technology can be seen as both a blessing and a curse. When the coronavirus pandemic struck, businesses and organizations were quick to implement work-from-home technologies to keep workers on the job and working safely. As the “new normal” of remote work and social distancing continues to dominate the headlines, it makes us wonder: Should we […]

Job

This Job Stinks, but Our Employees Love It!

Kudos to all the garbagemen and -women, sewer workers, plumbers, and every other job that we, as a society, take for granted—while some people refuse to do these jobs, someone’s got to do it! But the bigger question to ask is, Are these workers even happy doing the jobs no one else will do?

The References Dilemma … Tips for Employers

Employers naturally want to find out as much as they can about potential hires—after all, they’re going to invest a lot of time and money in onboarding and training. But references—both providing and obtaining them—can result in sticky situations.

Affirmative Action Plans: Are Those Still a Thing?

There have been changes to the requirement for federal contractors to have affirmative action plans (AAPs) since the Trump administration came into office.  In Executive Order (EO) 14173 “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity,” issued on January 21, 2025, the administration rescinded EO 11246 and required the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) to “immediately […]

Employee Fails to Connect Racial Acts to Adverse Action

A factory worker sued her employer, alleging the company discriminated against her based on her race by allowing a hostile work environment to pervade its manufacturing plant. She also claimed it retaliated against her for accusing a coworker of tampering with her machine. Let’s take a look at how the U.S. 4th Circuit Court of […]

BLR’s Training and Development Survey Results—What’s Happening in the Real World?

Training is key for positive development, retention, and engagement—but what’s really going on out there among professionals in the field? The results of our Training and Development Survey are in. Read on to see how participants are preparing their workforces effectively. A few highlights of the 2015 Training and Development Survey: HR management plays a […]