Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
To run an effective safety program, you need to be an enthusiastic booster of safety. However, enthusiasm won’t win over management—you need to make the business case for safety as well. Management will readily agree that safety is important, and they know that they have a moral–and legal–obligation to maintain a safe workplace. But sometimes […]
by Jeffrey A. Gruen New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has signed the state’s “ban the box” legislation, meaning that most employers will be prohibited from asking applicants about their criminal histories until the conclusion of the first job interview. The legislature passed the Opportunity to Compete Act in June, and Christie signed it on August […]
If the individual mandate under health care reform is struck down, it will render the employer mandate meaningless, the American Benefits Council (ABC) argues in an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court. ABC does not argue about the constitutionality of the individual mandate; instead it says that it is non-severable from the law’s insurance […]
The California Supreme Court has ruled that when an out-of-state business is on the telephone line with a California resident, the business can’t record the call unless it complies with a California privacy law requiring the consent of all parties to the conversation.
How do you deal with an employee who’s disruptive and can’t get along with co-workers? The obvious answer may be a warning or other discipline. But the federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal says employees like these may have a mental disability protected by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and that instead of disciplining […]
A customer is hit by a car in your parking lot and is severely injured. You call 911 and a fire truck and ambulance arrive on the scene. A police officer also interviews all witnesses. This makes sense – the customer needs medical attention and the police have to investigate the incident. Surely your obligations […]
NBC trotted out a repeat — St. Patrick’s Day — last night. My colleague, Jaclyn West, wrote an excellent piece focusing on work-life balance when the episode originally aired back in March. Jaclyn’s post made me think about potential wage-hour issues that arise when employers demand long work days. It’s no secret that wage-hour litigation is a […]
A new California Supreme Court ruling highlights a state law that prohibits the secret tape-recording of phone conversations. Although the case didn’t involve an employer-employee dispute, it has important workplace implications. We”ll explain the decision and provide guidelines on when you can legally monitor employee phone calls. Wife Allegedly Plots To Kill Sick Husband The […]
Mental illness has become an almost daily presence in today’s headlines. With the issue becoming more and more prominent, it must be addressed in the place where many people spend most of their time—at work. Author Graeme Cowan says that employers are in a prime position to make a difference with America’s collective mental health.
What About the Manager as a Teacher? If you take Lombardi’s words and change “coaching” to “managing,” it would go something like this: “I think managing is teaching, see? So I don’t think there’s any difference whether you teach in the office or whether you teach in the classroom. They’re both exactly the same. It’s […]