Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
Litigation Value: Nothing for Pam, but I’m sure the Philly real estate employees have plenty of gripes. Last night’s episode of “The Office” was a repeat of “Move On: Part I,” which we covered in our post “Breaking Up Is Hard To Do.” There were plenty of shenanigans in Scranton during that episode, so we […]
by Michael Bindner The IRS has issued Notice 2012-58, which describes safe-harbor methods employers may use to determine which employees are “full-time” workers for purposes of the “shared responsibility” penalty of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which is often referred to as Obamacare. Notice 2012-59, issued by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and the […]
by Tammy Binford “Team building” is a term that gets a lot of buzz among those interested in fostering collaboration and camaraderie in the workplace. Executives are eager to sponsor activities to nurture creativity and productivity, and they sometimes focus their efforts on helping employees have fun at work. With March Madness in full swing, […]
Courts generally agree that an employee suffering from alcoholism has “a physical or mental impairment” — and, hence, a disability protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act. While an employer can deny employment to, discipline or discharge an alcoholic whose use of alcohol adversely affects job performance or conduct, ADA provides that an employee whose poor […]
In last week’s episode, this blog’s all-time favorite character returned with gifts. And when I say “gifts,” I mean gifts for the writers of this blog; not so much for the Scranton branch. That’s right, Dunder Mifflin’s all-time leader in litigation liability for the company, Todd Packer, returned to the show for (what just has […]
By Marie-Julie Lanctôt Under their management rights, employers may establish fair, accurate, and achievable performance standards. A recent decision from the Labour Relations Board of Quebec, Piché et Impérial Tobacco Compagnie ltée, 2012 QCCRT 0600 (decision available in French only), serves to illustrate how Canadian employers may properly dismiss employees for poor work performance despite […]
by Tammy Binford When Yahoo! Inc. CEO Marissa Mayer decided her company would be better off if home-based workers relocated to the office, she gave a lot of people a lot to talk about. And telecommuters, HR professionals, executives, and bloggers sounded off in a big way. The furor started with a memo in February […]
Recently, BLR conducted a survey of 1,261 HR professionals to find out about the retirement benefits their organizations offer employees. Most respondents (86%) say they offer either a 401(k) or 403(b) retirement savings plan to employees. Employee contributions While a high number of employers represented in the BLR survey offer retirement benefits, only 33% automatically […]
by Michael G. Petrie Thanks to confusing and vague terminology used in the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), it is far from easy to comprehend the numerous rules and exceptions that determine whether an employee must be compensated for certain activities. While the question of whether an employee is performing a compensable work task […]
By Marc Rodrigue Increasing public attention has been given to mental health awareness. And Canadian employers are not exempt. Today’s employers have many employees who are affected by, directly or indirectly, psychological illness or are at risk of psychological hazards on the job. Sometimes these hazards can create human resources challenges, including extended employee absences […]