Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
A company can expand its workforce while eliminating jobs that otherwise would have existed. That distinction matters for HR leaders evaluating claims that artificial intelligence creates jobs rather than displaces them. The question is whether AI helps an organization grow, what happens to its hiring plans, and which workers gain or lose opportunities along the […]
Litigation Value: No immediate employment law liability. Under the applicable statute of limitations in Pennsylvania, however, Andy’s seminar invitees would have up to two years in which to claim personal (digestive) injury caused by Kevin’s “off the rails” motivational display. The Scranton Business Park was a busy place last night, with a number of visitors spending time […]
By Tom Sonde, president, SilverRoad Solutions Just about every HR department wishes management would do something to improve their HR system. Studies have reported that up to 80% of companies are unhappy with their systems. So why isn’t senior management doing something about it?
The U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Young v. United Parcel Service means employers need to think twice before treating pregnant employees under job restrictions differently than they treat nonpregnant employees who are similarly unable to perform their jobs temporarily. In a 6-3 ruling handed down March 25, the Court reached for middle ground between interpretations […]
by Paul Côté-Lépine There is sometimes uncertainty surrounding the proper scope of evaluation for a probationary employee. Is an employer limited to relying on neutral, objective criteria, or can the employer also consider subjective criteria? According to a Quebec arbitrator in Syndicat des cols bleus regroupés de Montréal (SCFP, section locale 301) c. Montréal (Ville […]
by Dan Oswald I’m sitting in the airport in Austin, Texas, and the faint and rare sound of a bagpipe can be heard in the background. It seems, at the very least, out of place in a major-city airport. As the sound grows louder, it’s clear that whoever is playing the instrument is drawing closer. […]
I have a question about determining the exempt or nonexempt status of our lowest-level managers. We think they are exempt, but we’ve read about some pretty expensive lawsuits and want to avoid that. We classify these employees as exempt, and they seem happy enough with that designation. Most of them are eager to move up […]
Expectations are a funny thing. They can be good in that they set forth an objective measure for expected performance, goals, and standards of conduct. On the other hand, they can turn bad if they are unreasonable or prone to differing or subjective interpretations. Watching the NBA draft last week, I was struck by how […]
Hunter Lott is an HR practitioner dedicated to the “rights of management.” His handbook remarks below came during his “Please Sue Me” session at a recent Society for Human Resource Management Conference and Exposition.
Litigation Value: the cost of a new iPod for your office Secret Santa = considerably less now than in Season 2 (depending on the model); potential liability for Scranton holiday antics over the last nine seasons = an obscene amount; the countless hilarious and heart-warming moments of The Office Christmas episodes = priceless. As we are […]