Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
Keeping Your Best Employees: Using Compensation Strategy to Nurture the Keepers In today's market, even if you're not making changes yet, your competitors are already hiring, promoting, providing bigger merit increases, and restoring bonuses. There's less and less barrier and more and more incentive for employees to go somewhere else. "I think now it's incumbent […]
The following training points are brought to you courtesy of today’s featured BLR® safety training product, 7-Minute Safety Trainer®. Shock Prevention Inspect electrical equipment before use to be sure insulation is in good condition. Check that plugs have a good, tight connection. Use only wiring that is approved for use outdoors or wet areas, and […]
By Gwen Cofield Employers and plan administrators should ensure that adequate procedures are in place so that Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) election notices are sent on a timely basis to qualified beneficiaries. If a third-party administrator (TPA) is used to provide COBRA coverage, an employer’s or plan administrator’s responsibility does not end after […]
An IRS audit claiming you misclassified workers as independent contractors rather than employees can be frustrating and expensive to resolve. But recent changes in IRS procedures for handling independent contractor classification problems may take some of the sting out of dealing with the government. New Rules For Independent Contractor Disputes Under the prior rules, if […]
Retention and productivity are always challenges, especially with budgets shaved to the bone. So here are 13 tips on beating the budget crunch from BLR’s 99 Ways to Keep Employees Happy, Satisfied, Motivated and Productive, by noted HR author Peter R. Garber. 1. Have a Family Day at Work An employee’s family provides critically important […]
In perhaps one of its boldest moves, on December 11, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) overturned existing precedent and held that employees have the right to use their employer’s e-mail system for Section 7 concerted activity, including union-organizing activities, during nonbusiness hours. The decision obviously affects employers’ policies on employee e-mail use. As background, the […]
How can employers protect themselves and reduce the likelihood of retaliation claims when disciplining or terminating an employee who has previously filed a workers’ compensation claim? If a claim of retaliation is feared, what evidence will help prove the employer acted legally? Avoiding Retaliation Claims: Tips When Terminating a Prior Workers’ Compensation Claimant Most employers […]
Litigation Value: Implementing an antinepotism policy = $800; medical bills for Dwight’s tumble from his secret standing stool = $1,000; applying your “buffalo wings passion” to all aspects of your life = priceless. Last night’s episode contained some interesting revelations about our friends at Dunder Mifflin Sabre. Indeed, Creed may be part of a secret […]
In May 2025, the Trump administration’s U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) published guidance saying that it would stop enforcing a Biden-era rule—one that had rescinded a rule created during the first Trump administration—on the factors distinguishing independent contractors from employees. Although the Biden-era rule remains “on the books” for now while the DOL considers replacing […]
A prescription drug’s ability to prolong life is a top factor health plans are using when fixing benchmark prices for drug reimbursement, followed by the drug’s ability to improve the patient’s quality of life, health care stakeholders said at an April 15 briefing hosted by the Alliance for Health Reform. Steven Pearson, MD, MSc, president […]