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Electronic Communications: Why Employer’s Unauthorized Monitoring Of An Employee’s Private Web Site Spelled Trouble

Current and former employees are increasingly bad-mouthing their companies by posting negative and possibly defamatory comments about their employers on the Internet. And some employers have gone to great lengths to find out who is responsible. With layoffs on the upswing, employer-bashing is likely to grow as the number of disgruntled workers increases. Now a […]

360 Reviews Are Badly Needed, as People Do Tend to Be Self-Delusional

By BLR Founder and CEO Bob Brady The article title was one of the many responses to Bob Brady’s column of March 19, which asked for readers’ thoughts on 360 reviews. The results of his survey show that the practice is relatively common, but isn’t universally perceived as "great." One hundred and sixty-one readers participated […]

The FMLA Comes of Age: New Rights for Military Families

Employers have expand job protections for military members and their families who need time off, to comply with regulations finalized by the U.S. Department of Labor Feb. 5. Major provisions, which implement changes to the Family and Medical Leave Act, include: Defining a covered veteran, consistent with statutory limitations, as limited to veterans discharged or […]

IRS Issues New COBRA Guidance for Employers

Update Dec. 16: House Passes COBRA Subsidy Extension and Expansion The IRS has issued guidance on the COBRA premium assistance or subsidy provisions of the economic stimulus bill recently passed in Congress. Under the provisions, eligible employees who were involuntarily terminated from their jobs between September 1, 2008, and December 31, 2009, and their qualified […]

Accommodating Your Most Valuable Asset: Your Workforce

In part one of this article, we discussed how the fight for top talent is requiring employers to invest in keeping their current staff healthy and productive. Comprehensive disability management programs can be a key part of this approach—helping assess employees’ needs, connecting them with workplace resources, and providing accommodation recommendations to help them stay at […]

Harrah’s chief diversity officer redefines inclusion

Traditionally, companies have thought that diversity is all about race and gender. Nowhere is that more the case than in the hospitality industry, which, in many jurisdictions, is held to certain legal standards. But Fred Keeton didn’t want to just meet those standards. As Harrah’s Entertainment’s chief diversity officer, he has spent the past three […]

Plastic Rocks, the Sleep Diva, and Other Customer Service ‘Treats’

Customer service reps have a difficult and mostly thankless job. Every year, though, we recognize their important work during Customer Service Week (this year it was October 5-9). We thought it might be interesting to ask BLR’s customer service reps about some of their most unusual calls or experiences. We weren’t disappointed. To begin with, […]

Government Employers: Are you Nordstroms or Wal-Mart?

By BLR Founder and Publisher Bob Brady Just as in private industry, government HR managers need to understand their organization’s core strategy, and then hire people and build policies that match. Several weeks ago, I wrote about how strategic HR decisions flow from what kind of company you are. If you depend on product creativity […]

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 […]