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HR’s holiday guide: A look ahead

With only a week until Thanksgiving, it’s time to start planning for the holidays (if you haven’t already). The holiday season is filled with opportunities to celebrate and thank employees for their hard work. But those opportunities can turn into headaches if you aren’t careful. That’s why this post is the first in a series […]

5 Ways to Put the Spring Back in Workers’ Steps

By Dave Anderson Just My E-Pinion Are your employees happy? Probably not, says Dave Anderson, an author and lecturer and president of Dave Anderson’s Learn to Lead. The most recent survey by the Conference Board suggests that only 45 percent of Americans are satisfied with their work—an all-time low since the study was established in […]

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March Madness ‘Office Pool’ for Laid-Off Workers Lets Them Join in Fun

While laid-off workers really miss their paychecks and benefits, downsized employees are down about something else this time of year—missing the March Madness office pool.. However, outplacement solutions provider RiseSmart® is busy collecting brackets of participants in its second “RiseSmart Challenge,” an alternative program that serves as a fun way to help unemployed workers take […]

Canadian Court OKs Random Alcohol Testing

by Nicola Sutton The recent decision of Limited v. Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada, Local 30 by the New Brunswick Court of Appeal has upheld random alcohol testing where the workplace is determined to be “inherently dangerous” and the method of testing is minimally intrusive. This is an important case for employers seeking […]

Ways Employers Can Reduce Workers’ Comp Costs

The gloom of our current economic circumstances should inspire everyone to look for ways to cut costs and streamline operations. One place businesses can start might be the administration of their workers’ compensation program, where expenses can rapidly get out of hand if employers aren’t careful. Here’s a brief checklist of things to look for. […]

First Circuit Serves Up Employer-Friendly Ruling; FLSA Admin. Exemption Does Not Cater to Banquet Employees

Banquet sales managers do qualify for the administrative exemption under the Fair Labor Standards Act — meaning no overtime is on the menu. So says the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Hines v. State Room, Inc. Plaintiffs in the case are former employees of banquet facilities that “host high-end wedding receptions and other […]

Pay Differences Not Related to Race or Gender? Prove It

There’s a compensation heat wave, says Susan Willmott, SPHR, and the only way to avoid it is with a compensation structure that’s carefully worked out based on job content and value to the company. In yesterday’s Advisor, we learned about writing job descriptions that provide information about job value; now with job descriptions done, here’s […]

Supreme Court Asks Feds to Weigh In on Pregnancy Accommodation

The U.S. Supreme Court has asked the federal government to provide an opinion on whether the Pregnancy Discrimination Act requires employers to accommodate pregnant employees. The Court received a petition to hear Young v. United Parcel Service, Inc., a case from earlier this year in which the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that […]

Time to Get Your Handbook in Order

An updated employee handbook (or personnel policy manual) of policies that are both legally sound and followed consistently is an employer’s best proactive defense, says attorney Marc Jacuzzi.

It’s time for flu season safeguards in the workplace

by Tammy Binford The headlines are alarming. A virulent flu strain is striking in at least some parts of the country earlier than usual, possibly signaling a rougher-than-normal flu season. Employers who ignore the flu threat risk turning their workplaces into a flu-fueled fever frenzy that gets worse throughout the winter and into spring. A […]