Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
I’m sitting in the airport in Austin, Texas, and the faint and rare sound of a bagpipe can be heard in the background. It seems, at the very least, out of place in a major-city airport. As the sound grows louder, it’s clear that whoever is playing the instrument is drawing closer. In the distance, […]
The current global economic environment means executives are thinking about reward program management in new ways, says consultant Tom McMullen. The good news is that Hay Group studies show human capital concerns rank number one. What’s the Deal with the ‘Regular Rate’? FThe bad news is that many organizations still find it hard to maintain […]
Employee engagement is a key focus of management and Human Resources teams across organizations. It’s also one of the most difficult measures to gauge objectively and accurately. How can you tell if Employee A is more engaged than Employee B within the same organization? How can you measure the engagement of those employees against the […]
When interviewing candidates, do you find that the interview tends to get off topic quickly? Are the candidate’s answers not as robust as you expected them to be? Have you considered overhauling your interview process but don’t know where to begin? We have a suggestion: Try asking behavior-based interview questions.
Here we present a leave-related workplace scenario—inspired by an actual court case—that’s intended to help HR professionals better understand an employer’s responsibilities under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). In this scenario, a police officer who took FMLA leave to recover from an injury asks to be assigned to light or desk duty or […]
While the FLSA allows some very specific pay deductions for exempt employees, such as taxes and wage garnishments, it's typically quite strict about the fact that exempt employee pay shouldn't be reduced for exempt employee absences in most cases. It's important for employers to understand when certain payroll deductions may be perfectly legal, and when […]
The holidays and the dawn of a New Year are traditionally a time for celebration with friends and family, but as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to weigh heavy on society at large, and derail or significantly influence large gatherings, there is more stress than joy in the air. Given the toll this uncertain environment has […]
“It’s a truism that nothing is certain in this world except death, taxes and bad management. But why?” asks author and blogger Geoffrey James. He blames five flawed management concepts that became popular in the 20th century. HR is one of them! James is a prolific writer and observer of the business scene and is […]
Whichever language you speak, emoji is now one of them. Whether you’re a full-blown text aficionado and have embraced the new hieroglyphics from the onset or have been a reluctant participant – emojis have arrived and are used in many social media and internet exchanges and have a growing presence in the workplace.
I often tell clients one of the most important documents they need to have is an employee handbook, and it needs to be up to date and legally compliant. Why? An out-of-date, an inaccurate, or a poorly written handbook really can do more harm than good. If you don’t have a handbook, put one in […]