Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
Maybe you’ve started to notice it at local businesses you frequent. The cashier at the supermarket looks unkempt. The new receptionist at the salon has no customer service skills. You thank the waiter for bringing the check, but he doesn’t thank you.
by Jackie VanDerMeulen Organizations’ use of independent contractors (often also referred to as consultants) as opposed to actual employees has grown significantly over the years. This trend comes as no surprise in a changing economy where particular skill sets are required at specific times and where flexibility is a key driver of success. In some […]
Summer is near, and with it comes additional workplace hazards, especially for employees who work outdoors in the California sun. High heat and bright sun create special risks—including heat exhaustion, heat stroke, and sun-related skin damage—for outdoor workers. Certain insect-borne illnesses such as Lyme disease and West Nile virus are more prevalent in the summer […]
by Dan Oswald Let me apologize in advance, but today I’m going to write about the Chicago Cubs. On Saturday night, the Cubs clinched a trip to the World Series by defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-0. It’s the first World Series trip for the Chicago baseball franchise since 1945. The 71-year drought had been […]
One way to afford the expense of providing financial training, says Liz Davidson, CEO of Financial Finesse, Inc. (www.financialfinesse.com) is to use your 401(k) plan’s ERISA account. This account is sometimes used to pay for plan expenses and sometimes refunded to participants. As long as the financial education is targeted toward retirement, using the ERISA […]
A new survey suggests that some organizations are not too concerned about cracking down on employees surfing the Web, at least not enough to create a policy. A surprising amount of employers (53 percent) allow access to social networking, shopping, and entertainment sites, according to a recent OfficeTeam survey. Out of the three categories, “social […]
Focus on your culture, and the profits will follow, says Zappos’ CEO and author of Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose, Tony Hsieh. And the culture at Zappos is all about customer service. The company, known primarily for its Internet shoe business, does very little advertising, Hsieh says; instead, it counts […]
There can be little question that technology is rapidly transforming business and is a key to competitive advantage for many companies. But just throwing technology at your staff won’t magically solve problems or open up opportunities.
“Job descriptions have a place in so many aspects of workplace law,” Charlie Plumb advised in a recent BLR webinar. Meeting ADA requirements is often top-of-mind since the accommodation process starts with outlining the essential functions of the job, but job descriptions are also impacted by other employment laws, like the Family and Medical Leave […]
A new survey conducted among 250 U.S. executives representing companies that are adopting artificial intelligence (AI) and cognitive technologies do not see job loss as a key outcome of their efforts. Nearly 7 in 10 (69%) expect very little (if any) job loss within the next 3 years, while 29% of these ‘cognitive aware’ executives […]