Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
The United States has a very large number of employment and labor laws and regulations. Compliance with these rules can often be a daunting task, especially for smaller businesses without the luxury of a full-time HR or compliance staff.
BusinessWeek magazine ranks the 15 best selling hardcover and paperback business books for August 2009 and gives a short summary. 1. Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell. As you’d expect with Gladwell, there are lots of surprises in his explanation of why some people succeed fantastically. Pluck and smarts get less play here […]
by Joanna Perini-Abbott Oregon’s expanded data breach law will take effect January 1, making two significant changes to the old law—a notification requirement and a change in the definition of “personal information.” Like the old law, the new law requires businesses that maintain personal information digitally, including information about employees, to notify Oregon residents whose […]
Like an old house that was cutting-edge when it was built but hopelessly archaic today, your 401(k) may have fallen behind the times. Is this true of yours? And, if so, what can you do about it?
I’ve said before on these pages that I don’t do a great job of celebrating our company’s successes. It seems that as we achieve a goal, I immediately look to the next opportunity or focus on a problem area that needs attention when I should be recognizing and congratulating everyone involved in our success.
Your organization may be in compliance with wage and hour laws, but are your “joint employers” in compliance? If they’re not, you could end up liable. Two or more employers may be deemed to be “joint employers” of an employee under the FLSA. If either employer violates the FLSA, they will both be liable. Some […]
Many companies across America and internationally have embraced the concept of engaging in youth mentoring programs. Larger companies include Eli Lilly, Allstate Insurance Company with its extensive Helping Hands project, and General Electric Corporation. Much smaller companies such as Webster Bank with branches in CT, RI and MA are involved in releasing employees to serve […]
By David G. Wong Until recently, the damages awarded by Canadian human rights tribunals, courts, and arbitrators across the country for human rights violations were relatively modest. In the past few years, we have seen those awards increase, although not to an outrageous level. But that might all be changing, as two recent decisions out […]
“Ban the box.” It’s not just a catchy phrase, but represents a law that restricts employers from asking a job applicant about his or her criminal history during the initial employment application. The ban-the-box law — a state, county and city mandate that requires employers to remove the criminal record disclosure box from job applications […]
Although some parts of the country still feel like summer, this week we officially begin the fall season. The Farmers’ Almanac recently released its winter forecast for 2009-2010 predicting that three-fourths of the United States will experience colder than normal temperatures on average. When temperatures plunge, what can human resources do to reduce energy bills […]