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COVID-19

The Divide Between What Employers and Employees Think About Returning to Work

Ask your CEO how successful his or her company culture is. Now ask your employees what they think of their company culture. Odds are you’ll find very different results. The truth is, the employer perspective rarely aligns with the employee perspective. The closer those two are together, the healthier an organization will be. But the […]

How a Bad Job Description Lost an Airtight Case, and Other Horror Stories

We don’t often think of the lowly job description and horror stories in the same breath, but job description mistakes can cost dearly when the lawsuits are filed. Here’s what might happen when job descriptions aren’t accurate and up to date: Failed to Define Essential Functions One of the most common failures of job descriptions […]

bonus

Bonuses and the New FLSA Overtime Regulations

By Susan Prince, JD, M.S.L., Legal Editor The federal Department of Labor (DOL) has released final changes to the overtime regulations. These changes are effective December 1, 2016. The most prominent change is the increase in the salary level required for exemp­tion from overtime to an annual salary of $47,476. This translates to a weekly […]

productivity

Common Employee Excuses—and How You Should Respond

Mistakes happen, acknowledges Justin Gray, founder and CEO of LeadMD on Inc.com. But if you’re receiving certain excuses on a regular basis, you could have bigger problems. He identifies three worrisome excuses he’s heard and explains how to keep your organization focused on the solution, rather than the problem:

family

Family Leave Policy Considerations During, After COVID-19

As COVID-19 continues to change the face of the world, U.S. employers and their HR teams have been confronted with a variety of new personnel challenges. One of the many issues the pandemic has highlighted is the changing landscape of family leave protections and policies in the United States.

Take Time to Learn the Law on Unpaid Time Off

An employee comes to you asking to take time off to meet with school officials because his child was suspended. Do you have to grant the request? What about for jury duty, or because the employee witnessed a crime? Are you required to permit employees time off to vote? In addition to the big leave […]

The 11 E-Info Risks—Realistic and Legal Policies

Beachboard, who is a shareholder in the Los Angeles office of employment law firm Ogletree Deakins, details the risks in today’s Advisor. He made his comments at the SHRM Annual Conference and Exhibition held recently in Atlanta. 1. Leaks of Company Information The risk of unwanted disclosures is at the top of CEOs’ worries, says […]

social security

Update: Social Security Wage Base Limit Raised to $128,400

The maximum wage base for Social Security tax will be $128,400 in 2018, up from $127,200 in 2017, the U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) announced. (Note: The original 2018 wage base announced on October 13 was $128,700; this amount was revised by the SSA in late November.)

The 6 Scary Phrases to Avoid in Appraisals

West, principal at Employment Practices Specialists in Pacifica, California, offered her suggestions at SHRM’s annual conference and exhibition, held recently in Las Vegas. Here are her six scary phrases: 1. ‘You’re overcommitted’ When you say this, the applicant will hear: “Has kids and won’t stay late.” Sounds like discrimination. 2. ‘You lack skills necessary to […]

Importance of Leveraging Ancillary Function Staff

In any company, there are certain activities that are core to the mission and purpose of the organization. There also are noncore or ancillary activities that are, essentially, in place to facilitate the smooth and efficient completion of the core functions.