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SHRM Conference Special: Supervisors Avoid Tough Conversations—Unless You Give Script

Managers and supervisors will go to great lengths to avoid tough conversations with employees. Unfortunately, avoidance isn’t the best approach. So give your supervisors and managers scripts to follow, says Paul Falcone. Falcone, a prolific writer on HR topics and a popular speaker, is VP, Employee Relations, at Time Warner Cable in Los Angeles. He […]

Tennessee’s “guns in trunks” law takes effect July 1

by Kara E. Shea The Tennessee law giving handgun carry permit holders the right to transport and store firearms and/or ammunition in their vehicles parked in an employer’s parking lot goes into effect July 1. With the enforcement deadline at hand, employers understandably want to know whether they need to alter current “no weapons” policies […]

Now Google Everything, Including Jobs

After months of speculation and anticipation, Google for Jobs has launched. And it’s pretty much like it sounds. Oh, and by the way, it changes everything.

How to Keep Employees Engaged on a Limited Training Budget

Careful planning and follow-up are essential to effective training and neither has to break your budget, according to Sharon Birkman Fink, president and CEO of Birkman International, Inc. “It’s more about creativity than a big budget.” When preparing for a training session, she recommends that trainers find appropriate jokes or funny cartoons to include in […]

Are job counter offers ever a good idea?

Without question, a job counter offer can be a useful tool if the situation fits. Under the right circumstances it might save a key employee from leaving—at least temporarily. However, in most cases they may create more problems than they solve, so employers should take care in assessing whether a job counter offer is truly […]

Reward Top Performers with Reverse Robin Hood Approach

Rob from the poor, give to the rich, says consultant Joseph DiMisa, and you can structure your incentive program so it really rewards top performers. You have to lower incentive payments to poor performers to liberate funds to give bigger rewards to your top performers, says DiMisa. Rewarding performance is the first of his Incentive […]

Google’s Hiring Practices: Are They Dumbing Down … Or Wising Up?

By BLR Founder and CEO Bob Brady Google has shifted its hiring criteria from “rocket scientists” to team players. The question is ‘Why?’ Google, which has the reputation of hiring only the smartest of the smart (perfect SATs, “A” list colleges, highest grades), may be “dumbing down.” According to newspaper reports, it is relaxing its […]

Are You Getting the Biggest Bang for Your Training Buck?

Trainers are left to juggle these competing interests and to justify the company’s continued investment in training. However, trainers can create buy-in by demonstrating the value of training and positioning it as a crucial part of employees’ work, rather than a distraction from it. Anecdotal success stories can help create a positive mindset about training, […]

Checklist for Avoiding Wellness Program Legal Entanglements

Yesterday’s Advisor featured attorney Mark Jones on how wellness programs get into legal trouble. Today, his checklist for avoiding legal hassles, plus an introduction to the all-HR-in-one website, HR.BLR.com®. Jones, who is a partner at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP in Los Angeles, offered his wellness guidance at a recent Benefits Boot Camp sponsored by […]