Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
Thirty-nine percent of workers say senior executives earn more than they should, according to a survey by the staffing firm Hudson. The survey, which included 10,000 respondents, found that while 64 percent of workers said executive pay should be tied to company performance, just 38 percent of employees say the practice is applied at their […]
Fortunately we haven’t been accused of discriminating against our employees or potential hires. But with all the lawsuits we’ve been reading about lately, we want to be proactive. Do you have any strategies or advice for preventing possible discrimination claims? —Kris R., HR Director, San Jose Discrimination is a big—and often costly—issue faced by […]
by Teresa Shulda Halloween is a lot of fun for both kids and adults. When else can we wear inappropriate costumes, gorge on unlimited candy, and create a Walking Dead display in our front yard? But when the spectral mist of Halloween creeps into the workplace, things can get really scary. Here are some real-life […]
A new publication from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health includes recommendations for limiting the negative effects of shift work. Among the strategies covered are scheduling heavy or demanding work when employees are most alert, avoiding quick shift changes and eliminating permanent night shifts. A free copy of the publication “Plain Language About […]
In a 14-9 vote, the Senate Finance Committee has approved Senator Max Baucus’ health care reform bill, titled America’s Healthy Future Act of 2009. All the Democrats on the committee and only one Republican voted for the legislation. Senator Olympia Snowe, a Republican from Maine who helped work on the bill and whose vote has […]
Nearly 75% of employers nationwide—more than double the number from 1997—actively monitor employees’ phone calls, voice mail, e-mail, Internet use and computer files, according to a new survey by the American Management Association. The financial services industry had the highest incidence of electronic monitoring, with over 90% of employers engaging in such activities. The survey […]
We’ve recently elaborated on why your organization should foster a more transparent company culture, and here we will elaborate on what you can do to actually implement this type of culture.
Recent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) figures reveal the number of workers who belong to labor unions has continued its steady 20-year decline. In 2003, just 12.9 percent of U.S. workers belonged to a labor union, down from 13.3 percent a year earlier. For private sector workers, union membership fell from 8.6 percent to […]
Could I get some clarification on whether we owe overtime on predetermined bonuses? We pay a production bonus to our assembly workers when they hit certain production levels. The bonus is not a great amount of money, but it does seem to keep production levels up. Now we’ve heard that we should somehow be paying […]
By David R. Godofsky Yesterday’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Conkright v. Frommert rejects the “one-strike-and-you’re-out” rule, awarding a home run to Xerox as sponsor of a defined benefit pension plan. The Conkright case arose when Frommert and other employees brought a claim for benefits. The employees contended that the method Xerox used to compute […]