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Employers Need Understanding of Canadian Work Permits

By Lesli Sheinberg and Isabelle Dongier When do foreign workers need to obtain a Canadian work permit? The rules often are misunderstood, and that misunderstanding can lead to complicated situations for employers and foreign workers. Sometimes the workers learn of the work permit requirement only upon arrival in Canada, and that can result in many […]

Public Official Forgot to Work Extra Hours per Week—For a Few Years

It’s hard to explain why you forgot that you had to work 8 hours extra per week, especially when minutes of a public board meeting show that you were present. And especially when you forgot for 5 years and over 2,000 hours’ worth of pay! That is the dilemma facing a fire marshal in Connecticut, […]

Appearance Policies: Physical Restrictions And Appearance Rules May Prompt Bias Suits; Guidelines On What You Can Require

You can impose height or weight restrictions for certain jobs as long as they’re necessary to the normal operation of your business and don’t burden one sex more heavily than the other. And it’s OK to set standards governing appearance and dress if they’re applied fairly to both men and women.

New Survey Shows Working Parents Prefer Flexibility Over Salary

Want to retain working parents? According to a recent FlexJobs survey of nearly 1,200 parents with children 18 and younger living at home, work flexibility (84%) and work/life balance (80%) are the most important factors when parents consider a job opportunity. Parents placed these ahead of other factors, such as salary (75%), health insurance (42%), […]

Disabilities: How Do We Determine Whether an Employee Is a Safety Threat?

We have a large workforce, and many people operate machinery, fork trucks, etc. Plus, many handle hazardous substances. We now think that some employees have medical conditions that may cause them to lose concentration, and we have some other employees who may be taking medications that might affect their ability to work safely. How do […]

Want the Best Employees? Prepare for the Interview

Note from Dan Oswald: This week’s Oswald Letter was written by Scott Peek, the customer service supervisor at Simplify Compliance. I think he makes a great point and that his thoughts are worth sharing.

ERISA = Every Ridiculous Idea Since Adam

by Brandon Long It’s rumored that President Ronald Reagan once referred to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) as “Every Ridiculous Idea Since Adam.” ERISA serves important purposes in our society, but it also presents tremendous challenges and potential liabilities for good-intentioned employers that merely want to provide nice benefits to their […]

Migraine, or FMLA Headache?

Management of leaves under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and the California Family Rights Act (CFRA) isn’t such a headache if you work out your policies carefully, publicize them to employees, and enforce them consistently, says Beverly Kish, SPHR. Kish is director of Human Resources at National Flight Services.

How HR Can Avoid Bad Bosses and Train Better Leaders

At some point in their career, everybody’s had—or currently has—a bad boss. Businesses, direct reports, and even bosses themselves, deserve better. Becoming a good boss and a respected leader begins with identifying the dysfunctional ones: who they are, the traits they embody, and the interpersonal tics they demonstrate that make you feel like you’re being […]