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Ask the Expert: Should We Insist on Certification?

We have an employee who missed 6 days of work due to pneumonia. We sent her the FMLA paperwork however she never returned the Certification of Healthcare Provider. She is back and work. Must we insist that she have the Certification completed or can we say that her leave will be denied under FMLA? She […]

When Do You Owe Mandatory Split-Shift Pay?

Under California law, employees who work a “split shift” are entitled to one hour’s pay at minimum wage in addition to at least the minimum wage for that workday. But what, exactly, is a split shift? Guest columnist Cathleen Yonahara of San Francisco-based Freeland Cooper & Foreman, LLP explains.

Use Training Committees to Improve Results

Gaining award-winning status for its learning organization has helped Jiffy Lube® International, (www.JiffyLube.com), a 100-percent franchisee-owned and -operated store chain, improve its training function even more, says Kenneth Barber, the company’s manager of learning and development. Barber attributes the success of Jiffy Lube University (JLU) to its close alignment with the business, franchisees, and vendor […]

Perfectenschlag

Litigation Value: Nothing too outrageous last night, but are we seeing the beginnings of a couple of sexual harassment claims for Jim and Val? Another week has gone by, and our favorite paper and printer sales team has heroically managed to continue to avoid discussing the bizarre behavior of their CEO at his party a […]

Election dynamics in the workplace: Free speech? ‘You’re fired’

by Courtney Bru None of us were immune from this year’s presidential election dynamics. Disrespect and name-calling have seemed more prevalent than policy discussions. The election was highly polarizing, potentially pitting employee against employee.  In the midst of it all, employees were often misinformed about their “free speech rights” in the workplace. A recent instance from Georgia […]

Managing Incentive Compensation Plan Changes: 5 Steps for Success

by John Ristuccia, vice president, Professional Services, Optymyze An incentive compensation plan, in which salespeople are compensated based on their ability to meet established performance goals, is key to building an engaged sales force aligned with the overall goals of the organization. Done well, these plans are highly effective, in terms of driving positive selling […]

Double Trouble

Litigation Value: up to $5,000-7,500 to settle Erin’s sexual harassment claim; $2,000 for sexual harassment training (again); up to $10,000 to settle with Michael for failing to protect him from Pam’s slap … and Pam might be spending some of her own money on defending against Michael’s battery claim. This week on “The Office,” we saw our […]

Do Your Managers Know the 6 Essential Dimensions of Great Leaders?

Increased demands, overstretched budgets, stressed-out workers, flat business performance, and poor leadership role models—combined with a leadership model that tends to reward short-term results—have created a “growing gap between the leaders we have and the leaders we need,” says author Bob Rosen. Rosen (bobrosen.com), who is CEO of Healthy Companies International (healthycompanies.com) and author of […]

Just How Important is Safety Training?

Case studies provide real-life examples of why it is important for learners to complete safety training and apply that knowledge back on the job. Let’s look at a few. In the month of June alone, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued statements regarding citations to five companies where training might have helped […]