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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 […]

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Working Parents Suffering Pandemic Stress, But Employers Can Help

Most employers agree that a diverse workplace benefits from the insights and skills of working parents. After all, parents are often the ones who know best how to relate to coworkers, clients, and customers who are also parents. And it’s the working parents who often have mastered the art (science?) of juggling tasks and getting […]

Bully

Protecting Against Workplace Bullying

Recently, a manager named Carol told me she had been verbally attacked by another manager. The anger seemed to come out of nowhere. Carol asked a question, Mount Vesuvius erupted, and next thing she knew, she was covered in hot lava. It happened at the end of a management meeting when others were still lingering. […]

The Risks of Losing an Exemption

The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) dictates minimum wage and overtime requirements, but it also allows for exemptions when specific requirements are met. Employers utilize these exemptions for qualified positions by classifying the employee as exempt—which means that individual will no longer be subject to overtime pay requirements. As long as all the qualifications within […]

Leave

California Court Confirms Employers Not Required to Provide Employees Indefinite Leaves of Absence

In a recent case, an employee suffered a stroke at work. Even after a 14-month leave of absence, her doctors could not state with certainty when she would be able to return to work. In that situation, it was clear her employer did not discriminate against her based on her disability when it terminated her […]

Making Sense of Scent Issues at Work

It seems that the number of people with allergies or sensitivities to various scents and smells has grown substantially. Some of those allergies can be severe, causing severe respiratory difficulties and other serious health issues. Questions continue to arise about the often competing rights of allergic employees and coworkers who wish to be able to […]

Step It Up with Step Rate Pay Scales

Sharon McKnight, CCP SPHR In a previous position as an HR director, I was tasked with developing a sustainable pay system for a large hourly workforce within a production-oriented environment—lots off manual labor at multiple positions, many requiring similar experience and skill sets.

notes

The Importance of Taking Good Notes

Effective note taking may seem like such a basic skill that it’s too elementary to include in a corporate training program or so fundamental that you’d assume all employees would have already learned it at some point. Unfortunately, that is often not the case.

stress

HR—The Toughest Job (Laszlo Bock)

“[HR] You have the hardest job in business,” says Laszlo Bock, former SVP of People Operations at Google.