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The Dangers of Hiring Friends and Family

Hiring those from within our close personal network—i.e., friends and family—has been a common practice since the earliest days of specialized work. We feel like we can trust people we know, want to give them a means of income, and want to groom someone to take over after we, or other employees, leave the company. But […]

“I meant, are you in here for drugs?”

Drugs are no laughing matter, except of course when it comes to the referenced exchange between Charlie Sheen’s character and Jeannie Bueller in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Yet, when it comes to our celebrity news cycle, drug use is as prevalent as steroid use has become in baseball. The latest scandal involves Nigella Lawson, most […]

Increase in Fatalities in the Workplace–Training Needed

Workplace safety is a top priority for any business, particularly those involved in inherently dangerous activities. For office-dwellers, the risk of serious bodily harm or death may seem remote. Even for those engaged in dangerous work, these risks are not always top of mind. However, recent data point to an alarming increase in the number of […]

Stop-Loss Insurers Would Not Be Health Exchange ‘Navigators’ Under HHS Proposal

The health reform law provides that entities called “Navigators” will assist consumers and small businesses in researching health insurance exchanges — but stop-loss insurers for self-funded health plans won’t be one of them. Those insurers, as well as individuals and other entities with too close a financial relationship to such insurers, would be excluded from […]

Employer Pays $50K for Refusing to Hire Worker in Methadone Treatment Program

A temporary staffing agency based in Baltimore has agreed to pay $50,000 to resolve claims that it refused to hire an applicant because of her participation in a methadone treatment program. Randstad, US, LP entered into the agreement to settle a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission lawsuit alleging that its actions violated the Americans with […]

Staggering Economy Dragging Down Pay Raises

By BLR Founder and CEO Bob Brady Last week, BLR CEO Bob Brady asked you to take a quick survey to confirm anecdotal evidence that organizations are ratcheting back on pay raises planned for 2009. You did—and did you ever. The current economic turmoil appears to have claimed yet another victim—pay increases planned for 2009. […]

Mad Men ends: What have we learned?

The seven-season-long nonstop drink-and-smoke-a-thon that was Mad Men has come to a close. Were you entertained? Were you satisfied? Better yet, did you learn anything? I will spare you my personal thoughts on the merits of the ending as there are countless commentaries available on the Web. (Really, it’s amazing how many there are.) Suffice it to […]

What to Do When Investigation Implicates HR?

One of the trickiest moments in HR is when your investigation shows that your department is implicated. In today’s Advisor, Denise Kay, Esq., tackles that challenge, and we get a look at a special program just for smaller HR departments. Kay, who is SPHR certified, is president of Employment Practices Solutions, Inc., in Lakewood, Colorado. […]