Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
By Elaine Quayle As athletes from around the world prepare to compete in London, workplaces in the United States appear to be hosting competitions of Olympic proportions on their own, according to a new OfficeTeam survey. In the survey of 1,000 senior managers in companies with 20 or more employees, nearly half of senior managers […]
We have been a little inconsistent in administering pregnancy leaves. We now have several employees who are in the early stages of pregnancy or who have casually mentioned that they are ready to start their families. I’d like to get my policies clearly laid out before these employees start requesting leave. Under federal and California […]
By Dan Oswald President, M. Lee Smith Publishers Just My E-pinion If you’re a pilot or paratrooper or skydiver, you pretty much depend on the person who packs your parachute. In today’s e-pinion, M. Lee Smith Publishers LLC president Dan Oswald challenges you to ask, Who packs your parachutes? Charles Plumb was a Navy jet […]
Did you know that some employers may be violating ADA requirements when performing safety tests for OSHA? This may include testing employees to ensure that they can perform certain physical functions of the job. This may also include taking adverse actions only against employees who have a disability. Employers need to be careful. “Some employers […]
In the wake of the recent scandal involving late-night host David Letterman, Mike Maslanka, editor of Texas Employment Law Letter, provides advice on how to deal with the relationship dynamics between the top brass and their subordinates in his latest podcast. A top boss must never become romantically involved with a subordinate, says Maslanka. In […]
The much-hyped Paycheck Fairness Act has been shut down and is unlikely to be revived any time soon. The PFA (S. 182; H.R. 11) was initially introduced in 2008 as a companion to the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. The bill, which passed in the U.S. House of Representatives in January 2009, needed 60 votes […]
If an employee is “at-will,” it usually means you can discharge the person at any time for any lawful, non-discriminatory reason. But what if a manager is motivated by improper, though not illegal, personal concerns when recommending an employee be fired? In a new decision, the California Court of Appeal has ruled that as long […]
by Daniel Mayer On June 16, important changes regarding union certification and decertification for federally regulated employers in Canada will come into effect. The federally regulated sector includes interprovincial and international transportation companies, airlines, railways, banks, and employees who work for the federal government.
Think you don’t have to worry about retention in a down economy? Many experts suggest it’s especially important these days, particularly for the employees you value most. Today’s Advisor explores how one company uses a tiered recognition approach. Effective employee recognition is timely and meaningful, says Tommy Lee Hayes-Brown, AIC, a certified recognition professional and […]
The federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and California law exempt certain administrative employees from overtime; the requirements for the administrative exemption under California law are stricter than the FLSA. To qualify for this exemption in California, an employee must: 1) earn a salary equal to at least twice the state minimum wage; 2) perform […]