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Special from 2011 SHRM Conference: Employees “Too Scared” to Ask for Flextime Says Virgin Group Founder
Sir Richard Branson, founder and owner of the British branded Virgin Group, doesn’t think much of American flextime policies. He calls the amount of holidays “horrendous,” while the stingy vacation time bars employees from spending the quality time with their families and children that they need to reenergize. Sir Richard’s comments came at the 2011 […]
Executive Order creates new compliance requirements for federal contractors
On July 31, President Barack Obama signed an Executive Order “to promote economy and efficiency in procurement by contracting with responsible sources who comply with labor laws.” The order will apply to new government contracts worth more than $500,000, and according to a White House fact sheet, it will be “implemented on new contracts in […]
Employment Law Tip: Get a Severance Signoff
Employers often use severance pay as a way to fend off possible lawsuits by departing employees. But here’s the catch: if you don’t require the employee to sign a waiver of all rights to sue you in exchange for the severance, you can be sued anyway. Whenever you offer severance an employee is not otherwise […]
Successful Wellness Programs Require Ongoing Commitment, Tailoring to Employees
Getting good results from an employee wellness program requires a continuing organizational commitment and understanding of what motivates individual employees, wellness expert Brad Cooper told a recent Thompson Interactive webinar. He warned of some common wellness program pitfalls. One is a “check-the box” approach — such as setting up a biometric screening and distributing a […]
DOL Launches Veterans Hiring Toolkit
In August, U.S. combat troops left Iraq, and President Barack Obama has said the military will start pulling troops from Afghanistan in July 2011. With this steady stream of military veterans coming back, inevitably some will end up in your application pools. Previously, we have discussed why hiring veterans makes sense. Now, the U.S. Department […]
HR and New Supervisors and Managers: Don’t Let Them “Learn by Doing”
The management landscape is littered with HR-related traps for unwary new supervisors or managers, and the stakes are too high to let them “learn by doing.” Here’s a tool to train them with minimal effort on your part and theirs. Last issue we talked about supervisors and managers who tried to be good supervisors, but […]
Health Insurance: Courts Weigh In on San Francisco’s Controversial Ordinance
On Jan. 1, 2008, the controversial San Francisco Health Care Security Ordinance went into effect, extending health coverage to uninsured residents and requiring medium- and large-sized employers to either provide employees with health benefits or pay a fee to the city to help fund the insurance program.
News Notes: Historic Ergonomics Regulations Stalled
California’s new workplace ergonomics rules won’t take effect until they are rewritten to make them easier to understand. The California Office of Administrative Law, which must approve all new state regulations, has just rejected the rules and asked for clarification of several different sections. The California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board expects to have […]
Looking Ahead to 2012 for HR
Get ready now for an aggressive NLRB; meanwhile, get your ADA house in order, say panelists at BLR’s Advanced Employment Issues Symposium (AEIS). Good news? It’s not too late to act.