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Use Your Brain Before You Train

Training can be easier and more effective if you prepare properly … both yourself and the trainees. Here are tips for doing it. Ask any group of HR managers what they least like about the job, and it’s even money that the answer will be training. A lot of that probably comes from the fact […]

morale

Team up with your employees for the new year

by Robert P. Tinnin, Jr. What do you do when employee morale is at an all-time low? As we all know, it is hard to produce positive outcomes with a workforce that has a negative attitude. I am a firm believer that there is a direct correlation between the level of employee involvement in identifying […]

Helping Employees Deal with Gas Prices

Fueling Change: What Employers Can Do To Ease Employee Pain at the Pump

Employers and employees have seen gas prices rise to alarming levels, then ease a bit only to head back up again in a seemingly endless cycle. While pump prices hover in the $3 to $4 range, forecasters hint that $5 a gallon or higher prices may be in the future. The direction gas prices will […]

Paid FMLA Leave: Our Readers Talk Back!

By BLR Founder and CEO Bob Brady Bob’s support of Family and Medical Act (FLMA) leave paid for by … somebody … generated a lot of heat … and several proposed solutions. Bob Brady is off covering a conference this week, so we thought we would give you a taste of the e-mails he’s received […]

Hot List: Bestselling “Organizational Behavior” Books on Amazon.com

Amazon.com updates its list of the bestselling books every hour. Here is a snapshot of what is hot right now, June 27, in the “Organizational Behavior” section of the “Business and Investing” category. 1. The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich by Timothy Ferriss.  Ferriss isn’t shy about tooting his […]

Penalties for Employers Who Ignore New Health Care Requirements

In yesterday’s Advisor, We covered Michael Aitken’s suggestions for the employee side of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). Today, employer responsibilities under the act, plus an introduction to a unique product aimed specifically at the smaller HR department. Aitken’s comments came during the Society for Human Resource Management’s (SHRM) recent annual Conference […]

2nd Circuit Mandates Supervision over FLSA Private Settlements

By Zachary D. Morahan, JD Most employers and their legal counsel are used to settling wage and hour claims in a simple and straightforward manner. Other than an agreement containing the appropriate terms and conditions, not much more was needed to settle such a claim before litigation began. With the exception of getting a case […]

Alert: CA minimum wage expected to increase

Last week, the California legislature passed a bill (AB 10) that will increase the minimum wage in California to $9.00 per hour effective July 1, 2014, and to $10.00 per hour effective January 1, 2016. Before the bill was passed, Governor Jerry Brown had indicated that he would sign it. The minimum wage in California is currently $8.00 per hour.

News Notes: Congress May Make Inside Sales Employees Exempt from Overtime

Legislation is pending in Washington that would treat certain employees who perform inside sales work the same as outside salespeople when it comes to overtime pay. Inside sales personnel are currently entitled to overtime after 40 hours of work in a week. However, a bill making its way through the House of Representatives would exempt […]

EEOC Sues Over Use of Credit Checks, Criminal Histories

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has filed a complaint in the U.S. district court in Maryland against Freeman Companies, a Dallas-based corporate event-planning company. The EEOC claims that Freeman’s use of credit histories and criminal background checks discriminates against black, Hispanic, and male job applicants in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights […]