Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
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. […]
Are there any HR mistakes as aggravating, time-consuming, money-losing, and lawsuit-threatening as making a bad hire? It can mean wasted training and coaching, disgruntled colleagues, work undone, angry customers, and a likely lawsuit when you are forced to let the person go. The best prevention? Meaningful background checks. The best way to avoid bad hires […]
By Joel Van Parys While a California court’s decision addresses personnel information for police officers in particular, all employers should be taking steps to safeguard and protect confidential employee information. The case is a reminder that releasing private personnel information about employees is a big decision that may involve risk for the employer—even if the […]
A: Stories help learners remember key points from training sessions, reinforce the content, and help new trainers feel more poised and comfortable, says Mark Satterfield, founder and CEO of Gentle Rain Marketing, LLC (www.GentleRainMarketing.com), and author of Unique Sales Stories: How to Persuade Others Through the Power of Stories. “People remember stories,” he says. “People are […]
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has released a draft of its Strategic Enforcement Plan (SEP) that spells out priorities such as stepped-up efforts against hiring discrimination and harassment, new protections for various vulnerable workers, preserving access to the legal system, and dealing with emerging issues like changes brought by the ADA Amendments Act. Recruitment […]
by Tara McPhail McCarthy Tetrault Canadian human rights laws require employers to accommodate employees and customers with disabilities up to a point. What point? The point at which the accommodation would constitute “undue hardship” on the employer. But what makes an undue hardship? A recent Supreme Court of Canada decision appears to set a high […]
STEM programs might produce candidates with strong technical skills, but they often lack transferable ones. While it’s vital to know the technical ins and outs of the field, candidates without the ability to communicate efficiently, lead teams, or resolve conflicts are simply less desirable. For instance, costly communication blunders are a major reason new employees might be fired early on, and a lack of strong communication skills during the interview process might make candidates seem less qualified than they are. But a lack of transferable skills in candidates isn’t the only reason HR professionals are struggling to fill positions. Sometimes, the problem is in the hiring process itself.
by Burton J. Fishman In a ruling that could make workplace investigations at unionized facilities all but impossible, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) reversed a 37-year-old precedent that protected employees from retaliation. Under the prior Anheuser-Busch standard, employers did not have to hand over witness statements, particularly from employees, to unions in discipline cases. […]