Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
Employers go to great lengths to attract employees, especially in a strong job market, where employees often have greater bargaining power. One way employers seek to attract new talent is through higher wages.
Surging changes to workplace laws understandably have employers suffering from whiplash. Historically, employment laws have shifted when presidential administrations have changed. A May 1, 2025, announcement by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) about its intended approach to the classification of individuals as independent contractors is a recent example. Background on Independent Contractors A number […]
Special from Atlanta–SHRM Annual Conference and Exhibition Employees act like children sometimes, and that puts the employer in the position of parent, says attorney Joseph Beachboard. And managers have to parent with policies, training, and discipline. Beachboard, who is a shareholder in the Los Angeles and Torrence, California offices of national employment law firm Ogletree, […]
By BLR Founder and CEO Bob Brady Two weeks ago, BLR’s founder and CEO Bob Brady, waxed eloquent in this space over the many good things about his iPod®, but also expressed his e-pinion that “serious” workers don’t have talk radio and music on while they work. Most readers disagreed. I never cease to be […]
As the economy improves and unemployment decreases, some companies are finding themselves in a perplexing and frustrating position—they are unable to fill certain roles with qualified individuals despite large numbers of available applicants. What is causing this disconnect?
When it comes to IRS audits, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” as Benjamin Franklin so wisely put it. The cure, in this case, most often requires restitution of deposits to your 401(k) or 403(b) plan, plus earnings, and in some cases, a sanction paid to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
What’s the weirdest excuse you’ve heard from an employee to explain why they didn’t show up to work? How about they were too upset over a PG-13 movie? At least one worker has used that excuse, according to a recent CareerBuilder survey. The employee claimed to be distraught after watching Suzanne Collins’s best seller […]
In a BLR® webinar titled “OSHA Inspection: How to Prepare for a Surprise Visit and Minimize your Liability Risks,” Tracy L. Moon Jr., a practicing partner at Fisher & Phillips, LLP in Atlanta, and an authorized OSHA General Industry Outreach Trainer, explained the importance of supervisor engagement in and ownership of safety and health compliance. […]
The U.S. government is sharpening its whistleblower protection program, hiring and training more OSHA agents to cultivate employee complaints against their companies. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) wants to increase the number of “whistleblower managers,” who work with disgruntled employees to dig up dirt on companies for alleged violations of workplace laws. Their work […]
A new report from Aon Hewitt estimates that the average cost increases for employer-sponsored medical plans globally will be 9.1% in 2016—5.5 percentage points higher than the global average projected inflation rate of 3.6%.