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Textbook on How NOT to Deal with Racial Harassment
The “N word” was in common use at Utah construction company Holmes & Holmes, and management—and unfortunately HR—not only permitted it, but participated. The judge called at least four strikes. The judge in the case wrote that the conduct was “constitutionally offensive in any setting” and concluded that this “is a rare case where there […]
Iowa ‘Mini’ WARN Act Goes Into Effect July 1, 2010
A new state law imposing stringent notice requirements on Iowa employers engaging in business closings or mass layoffs goes into effect Thursday, July 1, 2010. Near the end of the 2010 session, the Iowa Legislature passed a state version of the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act. Often referred to as a “mini” […]
Find quiet time alone to think
by Dan Oswald You don’t spend nearly enough time simply thinking. Before you take offense to that statement, consider how much time you spend talking, responding to e-mail, even reading—my guess is that you spend more time doing any one of them than you do thinking. Why do so many people claim they have had […]
Depression as a disability: Combating vague accommodation requests
Addressing depression and related mental disabilities and meeting reasonable accommodation requirements is a delicate balance. Often, employees who are in this situation will have a preconceived idea of what work restrictions would benefit them as an accommodation, and they ask their healthcare providers to state those things as a work restriction when they obtain medical […]
Ask the Expert: Can We Require Employee to Reimburse FSA?
We have an employee that used more than contributed in her FSA while she was on a FMLA then personal leave. The plan year is over. The employee is now back. Can we ask her to contribute the balance at this point? I know we can’t make this request upon a termination but what about […]
Choice Words Leave Waitress in Hot Water
Being fired for being a hero isn’t rare in the history of HRSBT. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise to learn that the hero in this story was fired as well!
Local Ad
Litigation Value: $1,500.00 (or a few hours of their attorney’s time to prepare an internet usage policy) It’s nice to be back! Thanks again to my guest blogger, Troy Foster, for pitching in while I had to work. Did anyone else notice how many Dunder Mifflin employees were using their computers for anything but work? […]
Rudeness unchecked: Research shows increasing incivility in the workplace
by Tammy Binford Children are taught from the time they can speak to be nice: Say “please” and “thank you,” treat others with respect, empathize with others. But how much of that early training is evident in the workplace? There the ambitious and battle-scarred are likely to remember another lesson they’ve learned along the way: […]
Business Leaders Are Leaning into AI
There’s often a stereotype around the disconnect between business leaders and new technology. Readers of a certain age likely remember the common caricature of the elderly manager dictating information to a secretary because the manager never learned how to type or the boss who simply couldn’t or chose not to understand e-mail. While these examples […]