Month: January 2008

EEO Investigations: 6 Killer Mistakes

With EEO investigations, says attorney Jonathan Segal, whatever you do, someone’s going to be unhappy. Either you didn’t investigate hard enough or you investigated too hard. Here are 6 common investigation errors that Segal sees all too often. When it comes to EEO investigations, attorney Jonathan Segal has seen it all, and much of what […]

Retail Sales Exemption to Federal Wage Law

by Kara Shea Typically, when employers consider whether their employees are exempt from federal overtime pay requirements, they think in terms of the “big three” exemptions — administrative, executive, and professional, collectively known as the “white-collar” exemptions. When reviewing job positions, classifying new positions, or conducting an internal audit, however, remember to consider some lesser-known […]

Benefits: Can We Screen Out Unhealthy Applicants When We Hire?

Our healthcare premiums have gone through the roof (whose haven’t?), and management is putting pressure on me to get the costs down. They think we can have an impact by establishing health criteria to screen out applicants who will be likely to have high health bills, e.g., smokers, those who are overweight and/or have high […]

Irony

I don’t usually pass along pop-culture links, but this one was too good to be true. On Tuesday of this week, TMZ reported that Steve Carell, who plays Michael Scott on The Office, was selected for jury duty in an employment-related dispute in California! Well, at least he had some experience with litigation earlier this […]

Is HR Too ‘Soft’ for Six Sigma? It Works for Hiring, Experts Say

Just My E-pinion By BLR Editor Susan E. Prince, J.D. and Shane D. Gerson, Six Sigma Master Blackbelt Six Sigma—the popular methodology used to drive process improvements—has helped many organizations in their manufacturing and other functions. Will it work for HR, or is HR too “soft” a science? Our experts say, give it a try. […]

Bridge-Building 101 for HR Managers

Yesterday’s Advisor was all about HR anti-patterns, or how not to manage people. Today we’ll look on the positive side—how to build bridges of trust—and at an extraordinary tool to help. Businesses have built-in cultural gaps. HR is basically behaviorally based, while other managers tend to be bottom-line oriented. HR often wants to talk about […]

At-Will Employment Language: HR Form of the Week

In an earlier blog article we discussed a recent appeals court decision which upheld a vague employment agreement clause. Although the employer prevailed in that case despite the unclear at-will language, it’s important to make an at-will employment arrangement clear to employees to avoid lawsuits. This week we provide you with sample policy language that […]

Discrimination: EEOC Settles Big Race and National Origin Bias Suits

Over the last few weeks, several multimillion-dollar race and national origin settlements and verdicts have hit the headlines. The recent developments—all involving cases brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)—serve as reminders to all employers of the need to train managers on preventing workplace bias and to respond promptly and effectively to employee […]