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Tips to Navigating the Hiring of Family and Friends

It’s frequent in companies of all sizes—but especially for privately held companies—for owners or managers to hire friends and family. In previous posts, we discussed some reasons for this and also talked about some of the dangers of nepotism in the workplace.

Making Managers Manage

Surely one of the most frustrating things about HR is managers who won’t manage. HR sets up its policies, practices, and systems and then managers don’t follow through. Some don’t care, some can’t, and some just don’t have the backbone to make tough calls. One thing’s sure—when things go South, HR’s going to catch the […]

News Notes: $2.5 Million Award Stands Against Employer For Rushing Injured Employee Back To Work

In a dispute over an employer’s workers’ comp return-to-work policy, the U.S. Supreme Court has refused to overturn a $2.5 million award to an employee of Dillard Department Stores in Nevada. Deloris Beckwith, a 64-year-old sales manager, hurt her back on the job and filed a workers’ comp claim. Beckwith charged Dillard tried to make […]

News Notes: New Free Information for Employers on Discrimination Laws

A new fact sheet summarizing federal employment-related laws is available from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. It’s geared toward smaller businesses, but contains a helpful overview of legal obligations that could be of interest to all employers. It covers subjects such as which employers are subject to federal employment laws, how employees are counted for […]

Top Execs Have Confidence Despite Global Volatility

Deloitte Consulting, LLP’s business confidence report 2016 reveals, for the second year in a row, that America’s top leaders, chief executive officers (CXOs), and chief executives-in-waiting (CXOWs—those who are next in line to the C-suite) have a very high level of confidence despite global volatility.

Flex–How It Plays Out in the Real World

You may access the website here: http://www.dol.gov/odep/workplaceflexibility/ How Does Your Organization Rate? Where does your organization sit on the “flex spectrum”? This Corporate Voices for Working Families graphic helps you see where you stand: The Flexibility Spectrum No Current Use of Flexibility No flexible work options currently being used ↓ Individual Accommodations Special arrangements or […]

Wage and Hour: California’s Minimum Wage Going Up to $8.00

On Monday, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and California legislators agreed to elevate the state’s minimum wage to $8.00 per hour from the current $6.75 per hour. The increase will take effect in two stages: minimum wage earners will get a 75 cent/hour boost on Jan. 1, 2007, to $7.50, and then another 50 cent/hour raise on […]

Benefits Denials Scrutinized When Plan Administrator Plays Dual Role

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled on the level of scrutiny courts must apply when an employee challenges a denial of benefits and the plan administrator, whether the employer or an insurance company, played the dual role of determining whether the employee was eligible for benefits and paying benefits out of its own pocket.1 The […]