Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
Kathy Brooks explains how Green Mountain Coffee Roasters achieves a 94% retention rate. It could have something to do with the coffee-picking expedition that top employees get to go on each year. Some 30-50 employees — all nominated by their peers or supervisors — are chosen to visit coffee-growing countries like Nicaragua, Guatemala, and Mexico, […]
By Joseph Grenny It was time for the annual employee engagement survey and Daniel was eager to see the results from his team. He had a good rapport with his direct reports and had worked hard to foster a good vibe. He was sure his team’s positive scores would serve to show his higher-ups that […]
Employers wishing to make their views known on a proposed rule aimed at making nearly five million more workers exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and therefore eligible for overtime pay have through September 4 to submit comments. The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) released a proposed rule on July 6 that would […]
By the BLR Editors Just My E-pinion At long last, a response has come from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) on its call for public comments on the FMLA. Too bad DOL is a day late and about 10 dollars short. First came the hope … that, after requesting public comments, the U.S. Department […]
Among the add-ons to the $700 billion financial rescue package that Congress recently passed was a measure that will affect many employers whose health plans offer mental health benefits. The Paul Wellstone-Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 builds on and closes employer-friendly loopholes in the limited mental health parity measure […]
Minimed Inc., based in Northridge, hired a pest control company to spray pesticide overnight to eliminate fleas at the office. When clerical employee Irma Hernandez arrived at work the next morning, she noticed a Raid-like smell—and within a few hours she had a headache, nausea, and tightness in her chest. Hernandez told her supervisors she […]
In yesterday’s Advisor, Whitney Warner shared secrets of winning lawsuits against employers. Today, more of her tips, and a policy system that’s designed to keep her and her ilk at bay. Warner is a partner with Moody & Warner, P.C., in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Her remarks came at the recent Society for Human Resource Management […]
Siebel Systems Inc. has agreed to shell out up to $27.5 million to settle a class action lawsuit charging that the company violated the California Labor Code and Wage Orders by classifying software engineers as exempt from overtime and failing to pay for overtime hours worked. The suit also alleged that the company illegally prohibited […]
In a decision that could test the limits of the Americans with Disabilities Act, a federal court in Utah has ruled a worker’s sensitivity to strong fragrances may qualify as a disability. Glenda Davis had worked for a state tax agency for four years when she developed a sensitivity to fragrances that resulted in headaches, […]
When all it takes is a few keystrokes to apply for a job, recruiters often find themselves in a quandary: A “successful” posting has attracted a candidate pool that is vastly larger than what was expected. Dealing with hundreds or thousands of resumes—many of which are from woefully unqualified applicants—is overwhelming. Recruiters, and especially high-volume […]