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Probationary periods allow employers to see whether a new hire is capable of successfully fulfilling the duties of the job he or she is being hired for, but they can also be used as tools to weaponize at-will employment—in which employees can be terminated or quit at any time—if they aren’t implemented correctly.
The wage and benefit increases McDonald’s announced on April 1 put the fast-food giant on the same path retailer Wal-Mart took in February when it announced an increase in its starting wage. McDonald’s announced that beginning July 1, it will raise starting pay at company-owned restaurants to $1 over the locally mandated minimum wage. Full- […]
[ go here for the first three T’s] Training Training is a reward. Top people want to keep their skills up and you need them to believe that the organization cares about keeping employee skills up to date. Development is both a management responsibility and an employee reward. What If We Train and They Leave? […]
By Amelia J. Holstrom, JD Massachusetts law, like federal law, requires employers to pay hourly employees overtime compensation for all hours worked in excess of 40 in a workweek. Under Massachusetts law, however, if an employee succeeds on a claim for unpaid overtime, she is automatically entitled to recover triple damages.
When we look back at 2018, one thing is clearly obvious: ALL industries are struggling to attract and retain top talent, and within the healthcare industry, nursing jobs are no exception. Just like other industries, there is a gender pay gap affecting nurses, which is surprising when you think of the fact that females make […]
Mike Judge has done it again. A few months ago, I wrote about one of my favorite workplace flicks, Office Space, and the dangers of pushing off uncomfortable employment issues (specifically Milt Waddams, a mumbly arsonist-to-be). Now I’m hooked on Mike Judge’s latest project, HBO’s Silicon Valley. Silicon Valley chronicles the ups and downs of […]
What Happened “Brendan” worked for National Starch & Chemical Company, now known as ICI American Holding Company, for 30 years before he was injured on the job on October 20, 2007. Brendan, a mechanic, was injured when he and another employee tried to replace three broken drive belts on a “blending blower” in the company’s […]
Extreme heat during the summer months poses a risk to outdoor workers, in particular, and creates a potential liability for their employers if steps are not taken to protect workers’ health and safety. The risk is real. Two years ago, there were 31 heat-related worker deaths, as well as 4,120 heat-related worker illnesses, according to […]
Words matter, and they matter a lot. As Mark Twain purportedly once said, “The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between a lightning bolt and a lightning bug.” So, I read with interest a post on X (formerly known as Twitter) by @Simons, whose name is Simon Ingari, a […]
Here is an overview of what you need to know to put together an effective training session. Background Who needs to be trained? If your employees work with hazards that could inadvertently be carried home, they need to know that they could place family members at risk and how to avoid doing so. Also, some […]