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Offering New Hires Probationary Periods

Probationary periods allow employers to see whether a new hire is capable of successfully fulfilling the duties of the job he or she is being hired for, but they can also be used as tools to weaponize at-will employment—in which employees can be terminated or quit at any time—if they aren’t implemented correctly.

Are You Actually De-Motivating Your Employees?

Research shows that workers come on the job already motivated, and common business practices rob them of it. The researchers offer some tools to reverse this process. “Most companies have it all wrong. They don’t have to motivate their employees. They have to stop de-motivating them.” With this one attention-getting statement, three researchers recently demolished […]

Holidays PTO Survey: Personal Leave Allowed

Personal Leave Days: What is the number of paid personal leave days granted by your organization per year (exclude paid holidays)?   None 1 day 2 days 3 days 4 days 5+ days Exempt Employees 535 (65.1%) 34 (4.1%) 50 (6.1%) 47 (5.7%) 17 (2.1%) 128 (15.6%) Nonexempt Employees 537 (65.3%) 34 (4.1%) 51 (6.2%) […]

Employment Law Tip: Juggling Vacation Requests

The summer vacation season is in full swing, and that means supervisors are getting inundated by employee vacation requests, some of which might be last-minute. While you don’t want to interfere with employee plans to spend time with their family and friends, you also need to make sure your business staffing needs are adequately covered, […]

Unions Create New Labor Federation to Rival AFL-CIO

In the September 2005 issue of the California Employer Advisor, we reported that several powerful unions had broken ties with the AFL-CIO, the nation’s main labor federation. Last week, the defecting unions formally founded a new AFL-CIO rival, called the Change to Win Federation. The new federation represents 5.4 million American workers and comprises the […]

Maine Voters Latest to Consider Marriage Referenda

Voters in Washington state and Maryland will weigh in on whether same-sex marriage should be legal in their states. Employers in these states — as well as those in adjacent states where same-sex marriage is not legal — would be wise to monitor developments and use the upcoming months to prepare for any possible changes […]

Fines for Non-Compliance Add Up Fast in California

Penalties for noncompliance with California wage and hour laws can add up surprisingly fast, says attorney Christopher C. Hoffman. And it’s surprisingly easy to run afoul of California‘s many tricky requirements. (See yesterday’s CED to read Hoffman’s tips on rest periods and meal breaks in California.)

Employee Trust: Going, Going, Gone!

Trust. Webster’s defines it as “assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something; or one in which confidence is placed.” Based on this definition, how many of us would say that the average employee trusts senior management? Not many. In fact, research shows that less than half of all employees […]

Top Consultant Sets HR Priorities for 2007

An international consultant forecasts that, in the coming year, corporate leaders will focus on retention, ethics, self-development, and “bonding with employees.” What human resources priorities will America’s corporate leadership (with the help and guidance of their HR people, of course) be focusing on in 2007? One of the key prognosticators on this topic has been […]