Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
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 […]
by David S. Fortney At the end of his first full week in office, President Barack Obama took swift action to change employment and labor law. On January 28, he signed the Lilly Lebedetter Fair Pay Act, which relaxes the statute of limitation within which workers can file pay discrimination claims. On January 29, President […]
Almost every employer has policies. The question is, where do they come from? They come from HR, right? But where does HR get them? They must get them from somewhere. And what if you don’t have an HR department? Then someone must have to — gasp — write them. We’re talking about your employment policies […]
In a previous post, we discussed the challenges that come with employee turnover and that those challenges aren’t limited to top-level executives. At any level, employee turnover means losing someone with institutional knowledge, the potential to sidetrack or at least impede progress on ongoing projects, and forcing employers to spend months onboarding replacements.
Many small-business owners both administer and participate in pension plans covered by the Employee Retirement and Income Security Act (ERISA). But the courts have been split as to whether business owners qualify as participants under ERISA and are entitled to the same legal protections as employees, including protection from creditors in the event of bankruptcy. […]
A recent report from outplacement consultancy Challenger, Gray & Christmas shows an uptick of job cuts in January compared to December. The total remains lower than the same month a year ago.
An employer violated the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) by firing five employees who complained on Facebook — off-hours — about their jobs, an administrative law judge for the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) held. So the employer must do penance by rehiring them and making them whole for any loss of earnings and other […]
Litigation Value: $0. The last time The Surplus episode of The Office aired, we talked about Dunder Mifflin’s good behavior (relatively speaking). In the spirit of award season –- specifically the Golden Globes, which are on this Sunday –- let’s give some awards to folks for their exemplary behavior during the episode. Best Actor – […]
By Tonya Lanthier “If you can’t measure something, you can’t understand it. If you can’t understand it, you can’t control it. If you can’t control it, you can’t improve it.” —H. James Harrington Interviewing a new hire can be a lot like a blind date. You show up with very little information about the person […]
Defined contribution plan participants who take out plan loans are more likely saving at a lower contribution rate than most, and are not likely to repay the loan when they leave their employer. This according to a new report based on research from New York Life Retirement Plan Services’ DC data. With those factors in […]