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Can Individual Managers Be Held Liable for Wrongful Discharge? The Answer May Surprise You

By Jonathan Mook Virtually all states recognize a common law tort claim of wrongful discharge in violation of a state’s established public policy. In most instances, a lawsuit alleging such a claim is brought solely against the plaintiff’s former employer. But may a suit be brought not only against the employer, but also against the […]

Changes in HR Titles Show Progress

Over my three decades in human resources (HR), I’ve gathered a pretty good library on the subject. In its titles, I can see the evolution of the field during that time—an evolution that I can also see in the titles I and other HR professionals have held over the years.

Bonuses and Overtime—One of the Most Frequent Failures in Comp

Bonuses Included in Overtime Calculations? Under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), bonus payments are divided into discretionary and nondiscretionary types. Nondiscretionary bonuses are included in an employee’s regular rate of pay for the purpose of determining overtime, while discretionary bonuses are not included in an employee’s regular rate of pay to determine overtime. […]

Goal-Driven Profit-Sharing? Sure

[Go here for 1. Straight and 2. Hurdle-Rate Profit Sharing] 3. Goal-Driven Profit-Sharing Plans In a goal-driven profit-sharing plan, profits are used to establish an incentive opportunity, but employees also must earn that opportunity, based on achieving other goals. These other goals are broad corporate goals, rather than unit operational goals, which are used to […]

How to Keep Older Workers Engaged on the Job

There are a lot of factors at play keeping employees in the workforce longer than before. For example, for many years, pensions have been on the decline (only a small minority of employers offer them now—meaning employees have more responsibility to save for their own retirement and may need to stay working longer in order […]

White House

The High Cost of Employee Turnover: The White House Edition

Whether you agree with him or not, one thing’s for sure: With President Donald Trump, there is never a dull moment! This edition of HR Strange But True is not meant to be a one-sided political discussion. It’s simply an example of how costly employee turnover can be, and with the latest hiring and firing—at […]

trends

Workplace Trends to Watch in 2017

Maternity leave is so 2015. Like resolutions, trend forecasting has become a rite of passage around the arrival of each New Year. Through safe bets and bold predictions, we look ahead to what the year will hold. Over time, these trends cease to be trends—they become entrenched in our workplaces, and they mature.

mental health

5 Ways Companies Can Support Mental Health, Beginning with Empathy

With much of the workforce still working from home, personal demands continue to spill into work demands and vice versa. Combined with raising children and maintaining relationships in a COVID world, it is easy to understand why self-reported mental health symptoms such as anxiety and depression have nearly doubled since before the pandemic.  These mounting […]

Assault

#MeToo, #TimesUp, and #BlackLivesMatter Not Being Discussed at Work

A recent survey from Fierce Conversations, a training company that teaches organizations how to have effective conversations, revealed key insight into the potential impact recent political and social events have had on the workplace—from who is being invited to the conversation to increased feelings of self-empowerment. Over 1,000 full- and part-time employees in the United […]