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Interview Tactic: Bring Seafood into the Mix

We recently ran an SBT on a Glassdoor survey about weird interview questions. Among the top were, “How many cows are in Canada?” and “Pick two celebrities to be your parents.” We asked readers to share their own odd interview inquiries. Here’s one that is definitely original: “I like, ‘What’s your favorite fish?’”   “The […]

Who Can Access Your HR Data?

The greatest threat to HR data often isn’t a sophisticated cyberattack; it’s an outdated permission, an unnecessary copy, or a confidential file sitting somewhere nobody thought to check. As employee information spreads across increasingly complex storage environments, simply knowing who can access it becomes a challenge in its own right. Sending an email to the […]

Amazon Editors’ Best Business Books of 2010

The editors at Amazon have picked their favorite business and investing books for 2010. Here are the top 10. 1. The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine by Michael Lewis. The sequel to #1 best-selling Liar’s Poker examines the issue of who understood the risk inherent in the assumption of ever-rising real estate prices, a […]

Sexual Harassment: U.S. Supreme Court Clarifies When You’re Responsible For Harassment; Steps To Take Now

In a pair of important new decisions, the U.S. Supreme Court has for the first time clarified the rules about when you can be liable for harassment that you didn’t know about or that didn’t cause the victim a loss of job benefits. The rulings offer something for everyone. They make it easier for employees […]

Stereotypes Are Alive and Well

We are beyond the day when an employer could evaluate employees by assuming or insisting that they matched the stereotypes associated with their group. — U.S. Supreme Court Price Waterhouse Facts Brenna Lewis started working for Heartland Inns, a small hotel chain, in July 2005. She mainly worked as a night-shift auditor, and in the […]

The Truck Loaders’ Tale–Metrics and Management

To tame turnover, says consultant Karl Ahlrichs, SPHR. Focus on the employees you really want to keep. You’ll have a much better shot at improving the bottom line. We’ve shared Ahlrichs’ truck loader story before but it’s worth repeating as it clearly illustrates what can happen when different parts of the team are using different […]

Hot List: BusinessWeek’s Bestseller List

BusinessWeek magazine ranks the 15 best selling hardcover and paperback business books for June 2009 and  gives a short summary. 1. Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell. As you’d expect with Gladwell, there are lots of surprises in his explanation of why some people succeed fantastically. Pluck and smarts get less play here […]

Resuscitate COBRA Premium Subsidies to Help Unemployed, Commonwealth Fund Says

In the waning days of the COBRA premium subsidy, The Commonwealth Fund is calling for the program to be resuscitated as a way to help unemployed and uninsured workers until health care reform is fully implemented. In an Aug. 24 issue brief,  the Fund noted that “the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression has […]

Supreme Court Eliminates ‘Background Circumstances’ Test for Title VII Claims

In a unanimous decision, the U.S. Supreme Court has formalized and affirmed the legal standard for employment discrimination claims for nonminority groups under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. What Changed? Typically, in Title VII cases, employees must show they are members of a protected class, they were qualified for the job […]

Employers Now Allowed To Email WARN Notifications to EDD

California employers may now submit their WARN notices to the EDD via email. According to the EDD, the goal is to provide employers with a business-friendly option for satisfying WARN requirements. The new email option should also allow for the faster receipt and processing of WARN information by the EDD, which will enable the EDD […]