Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
by Amy Kunkel-Patterson Seattle’s new law restricting the use of criminal background checks takes effect November 1. The Job Assistance Ordinance prohibits employers from requiring applicants to disclose arrest or conviction records as part of initial job applications. It also restricts how employers may use arrest and conviction records that eventually are disclosed. A number […]
Plan participants can recover personal, rather than plan, losses under arguments of “surcharge,” the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals recently ruled, reversing an earlier opinion, which had been at odds with other federal circuits. On Dec. 16, the circuit court handed down the new ruling in Gabriel v. Alaska Elec. Pension Fund, 2014 WL 7139686 (9th […]
Gen AI tools are now embedded in daily business operations—from drafting emails and summarizing documents to analyzing data and preparing internal reports—whether they’re sanctioned or not. But as companies and employees adopt these tools, courts are beginning to address an important question: Are AI prompts, uploads, and outputs safe from discovery? Two recent federal decisions […]
BusinessWeek ranks business books that are the most recent bestsellers and provides a short summary. 1. StrengthsFinder 2.0: A New and Upgraded Edition of the Online Test from Gallup’s Now, Discover Your Strengths by Tom Rath. Are you unsure where your true talents lie? Do you feel that you are both a person who gets […]
Employers have until Dec. 1 to comment on the (DOL)’s proposed child labor regulations for the agricultural sector. That’s one month longer than the original deadline of Nov. 1. The extension was published in the Federal Register Oct. 31. Released Sept. 2, these are DOL’s first revisions to child farm labor rules in 40 years. […]
Associated Builders and Contractors has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Labor alleging that its new hiring regulations for federal contractors exceeds the department’s statutory authority. The regulations, which implement Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act, require federal contractors and subcontractors to aim to have individuals with disabilities make up 7 percent of […]
By Dan Moran Just My E-pinion People are, I think by design, procrastinators. Why do today what you can do tomorrow? In part I think this has lead to a practice by managers of people — and some HR professionals as well: Let it be, the issue will go away… I am amazed how often […]
Yesterday’s CED offered tips about giving references. Today’s we look at tips for handling other types of requests, such as subpoenas and financial data, again courtesy of BLR’s SmartPolicies program.
I am thrilled to announce the launch of the SmartHRManager blog, powered by Thompson Publishing Group. Welcome. We hope this blog can do a lot for you. We want to be the place HR and benefits professionals turn to for ideas, analysis and instructions. We have a dynamic publishing company behind us to delve into the questions […]
by Matthew Jacobson Changes to the Maine minimum wage law taking effect January 1 mean that the minimum wage for tipped workers will continue to be $5 an hour instead of rising $1 an hour like the minimum wage for workers who don’t receive tips. Maine voters approved Question 4 on the 2016 ballot. The […]