Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
A San Francisco judge has dramatically sliced a recent jury award of over $131 million to African-American workers who were discriminated againstby their employer, Interstate Bakeries Corp. Calling the verdict against the maker of Wonder Bread excessive, the judge reduced the original award, which included compensation for lost wages and pain and suffering, together with […]
When a new hire is brought on board, it feels like there are a million things to do. Beyond the obvious things like completing all the necessary paperwork and informing the employee of the basics (like when and where to show up!), there are a lot of onboarding activities that are crucial to long-term success […]
Two large companies that rely on on background checks to screen new hires are being sued by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. It is not illegal for employers to refuse a job to an employee with a criminal background. But in one case the EEOC alleges that a BMW manufacturing facility in South Carolina […]
The National Institute for Ocupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has produced a new training tool about preventing workplace violence. “Violence on the Job” is a 27-minute video (in two separate programs) that discusses practical measures for identifying risk factors for violence at work, and it offers recommendations and resources to help keep workers safe. The […]
Five years ago, in March 2010, the Affordable Care Act was signed into law by President Obama to resolve problems in the U.S. health system, including: the high number of uninsured Americans; Americans unable to get coverage due to pre-existing conditions; the high cost of care; and suboptimal care as a result of poor incentives […]
The following is a list of the bestselling hardcover business books as ranked by the New York Times with data from Nielsen BookScan on May 23. 1. Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing Its Soul by Howard Schultz with Joanne Gordon. Schultz tells of his second stint as the C.E.O. of Starbucks […]
All right, I’m officially over the recession. I’m tired of reading, writing, thinking, and talking about it. Most of all I’m tired of having to deal with it every day in our business. I long for the good ol’ days. For our industry — publishing — that was the go-go ’90s. But at this point […]
After hearing concerns from the retirement plan industry, the IRS issued modifications on March 25 to its pre-approved program for 403(b) plans, in Revenue Procedure 2014-28. These welcome changes will provide another year — until April 30, 2015 — to apply for the program and will increase the number of entities that can take advantage […]
BusinessWeek ranks paperback business books that are the most recent bestsellers and provides a short summary. 1. Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking. Author Malcolm Gladwell says snap judgments deserve careful consideration. 2. The World Is Flat 3.0: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century. Author Thomas L. Friedman says globalization is great — […]
Maybe you’ve heard the old saw about the perfect business being one with no managers, no supervisors, and no employees. Unfortunately, your business isn’t perfect — if it is, we’d love to hear about it! — and you have to deal with managers and supervisors who are probably making these common, risky mistakes right now.