Most Popular

hire

Hire for More than Warm Bodies

The ripple effects of the COVID-19 crisis continue to increase as the unemployment rate rises to levels we haven’t seen since the Great Depression.

disability

What 2017 Holds for Disability and Absence Management

2017 is a year of uncertainty for the HR sector. Absence and disability management professionals are no different. A new president and Congress are sure to institute laws and regulations that make changes great and small. At the same time, states and localities continue to make their own legal and regulatory changes, especially around paid leave.

Hiring Ex-Convicts

More than 650,000 ex-offenders are released from America’s state and federal prisons every year. Studies show that approximately two-thirds will likely be rearrested within three years of release.

Sexual Harassment

Why Workplace Harassment Persists—And What Employers Can Do About It

Complaints of sexual harassment and sexual misconduct have dominated the news recently with allegations ranging from sexual threats, to groping, to sexual assault.  While the allegations have made the news because they involve people in the entertainment industry and politics, it’s readily apparent from the thousands of stories shared using #MeToo that sexual violence and […]

Empowering Leaders Through Training and Development: 4 Mistakes to Avoid

When you hear the term “effective leadership,” what comes to mind? Here are a few considerations to start the list: inspiring, trustworthy, strategic, empathetic, customer-focused, decisive, and humble. Do you see a problem with this list? Effective leadership spans a broad spectrum of interpersonal skills, personality characteristics, and business-oriented competencies. Unfortunately, because of the gap […]

Interesting COBRA Implications, and Silver Lining, Are in New W-2 Reporting Guidance

New guidance on a group health coverage reporting requirement raises some important issues regarding COBRA coverage and provides a silver lining for employers, who should be able to use their current COBRA premiums to determine the reportable cost of health coverage — making the new burden of this requirement a little easier to bear, according […]

What NRLB Captive-Audience Ruling Means for Employers

In November 2024, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) upended 76 years of precedent, holding in Amazon.com Services LLC, 373 NLRB No. 136, that “captive-audience” meetings are per se unlawful under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). Captive-audience meetings are mandatory meetings during regular, paid working time where an employer shares its views regarding unionization […]

401(k)s Under Assault — What Are Best Employers Doing?

For years, BLR® has surveyed HR and benefits professionals to find trends in benefits. We appreciate your participation in our monthly series of brief, targeted benefits surveys. Today’s survey topic: 401(k) Plans. (We’ll publish the results in a future issue.) Please participate in this brief survey and we’ll determine just how employers are handling their […]

Compensation and Benefits Trends: Fad or Forever?

My dictionary defines ‘fad‘ as a temporary fashion, manner, or conduct followed enthusiastically by a group. My life experience tells me that fads come and go—and some fads come back. Not convinced? Remember skinny-leg jeans? They’re back. Actually, they’ve been back for quite a while. Some would say they never went out of fashion but […]

Learning How to Engage in Small Talk

Some people seem to have a natural ability to strike up a conversation with just about anyone. But others try and fail to be engaging conversationalists or avoid small talk altogether, either because they see it as a waste of time or because of their introversion and social anxiety. The Value of Small Talk Small […]