Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
An Oklahoma employer will pay $50,000 to settle the first lawsuit the federal government filed to enforce the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act. The case, Civil Case No.: 13-CV-248-CVE-PJC, was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which is tasked with enforcing GINA, filed suit […]
There are 10 key challenges for HR under Dodd Frank and its various “Say on” requirements, says consultant Deborah Lifshey. Although about half are not currently in force, it’s still a significant hassle. Many employees are bringing their smartphones and tablets with them to the office—and employers need to be prepared, says attorney Brian Jackson. […]
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has announced changes aimed at strengthening its protection of employees who report suspected unlawful activity on the part of their employers. The plan to correct problems with the Whistleblower Protection Program comes after OSHA conducted a top-to-bottom review prompted by audits of the program by the Government Accountability […]
Take care when you do your social media sourcing that you don’t let candidates think you’re creepy, says Staffing Advisors recruiter Kelly Dingee. You don’t want to come off as a stalker. People you contact are going to want to know: How did you find me? How did you know that I can …? Maintain […]
Suppose a supervisor retaliates against an employee who complained about sexual harassment by initiating a disciplinary investigation against the employee. The employee is ultimately terminated for disciplinary reasons and sues you for retaliation. Can you claim you’re not liable because the person who made the termination decision didn’t know about the harassment complaints? Not according […]
FMLA leaves should be routine by now, but the exasperating questions keep cropping up, don’t they? In today’s Advisor, some of the tricky questions BLR®’s editors have tackled, and an introduction to an FMLA program that will help you answer all your FMLA questions. Can an employee take FMLA for a critically ill grandchild (or […]
It’s not always easy to know when inappropriate behavior becomes illegal harassment. While a single offensive comment alone may not be enough to justify a claim, there isn’t always a clearcut test for harassment. In the accompanying story beginning on page 1, the jury found that racial harassment had occurred, but the results in similar […]
The National Institute for Safety and Health (NIOSH) recommends that employers with chemical operations take these additional steps to keep contact lens wearers safe in chemical environments: 7. Train medical and first-aid personnel in the removal of contact lenses and have the appropriate equipment available. 8. In the event of a chemical exposure, begin eye […]
Last year the federal Department of Labor repealed the controversial Clinton-era mandatory ergonomics regulations but promised to develop another strategy for reducing workplace injuries stemming from ergonomic problems. Now, rather than apply a single ergonomics standard to a broad range of industries, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration has come up with a new […]
“I want someone from the top of the class at a top business school, who has advanced rapidly at a fast-growing, respected firm (but I want to pay an entry-level salary).” That’s pie-in-the-sky recruiting—spinning your wheels with no results. In yesterday’s Advisor, we covered the first five prehire necessities. Today, we look at five more, […]