Month: August 2008

Addressing the ‘Toxic Manager’

Rainn Wilson (Dwight) has been all over the place lately promoting his new movie and the new season of The Office. One of his more interesting appearances in the media was a Business Week article in which he was interviewed about “office jobs from hell.” It was interesting to learn that Rainn used to work […]

Payroll Deductions That Don’t Affect Employees’ Exempt Status

by Gary Fealk Workers who qualify as executive, administrative, or professional employees may be exempt from the overtime requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) if they are paid on a salaried basis or not less than $455 per week. However, if an employee’s basis of compensation isn’t “salaried,” the exemption will be lost. […]

The Family Unfriendly Workplace: Does American Flexibility Trump European Benevolence?

By BLR Founder and CEO Bob Brady BLR’s CEO wonders if this country’s flexibility doesn’t provide a more supportive environment for working parents than do European countries’ vaunted social systems. The conventional wisdom is that the U.S. is far behind the rest of the world when it comes to supporting families and their needs for […]

Customer Tip About Employee Drug Use—What To Do?

 We had a customer call our office and ask us if we did random drug testing of our employees. We said we do not, and he told us that if we did, one of our employees would not pass and went on to describe that employee. We asked if something happened while he was a […]

EEO-1 Reporting: What Employers Need to Know

The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) require certain employers to report their workforce demographics each year. The report, commonly referred to as an EEO-1 report, must typically be filed between August 1 and September 30. This article provides an overview of the reporting requirements and updates […]

13 Inexpensive Tips for Encouraging Wellness Program Participation

Today we offer more low-cost tips for encouraging participation in wellness programs, and we’ll introduce a new turn-key wellness program from BLR. Beyond the actual physical activities, most wellness programs need a little incentive to encourage participation and especially to keep people participating after the initial excitement has worn off. Here are some tips from […]

Workplace Violence Prevention Strategies

Workplace violence is a serious threat to American employers and employees. Although homicide in the workplace has steadily declined since 1994, it is still the fourth leading cause of workplace fatalities in the United States. In addition, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that in 2006, more than 22,000 employees in private industry missed days […]

Two Big Age Bias Settlements—and 3 Lawsuit Prevention Tips

Several new age bias settlements have hit the California headlines. Electronics retailer Best Buy will pay $17,500 to settle a lawsuit filed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on behalf of a 68-year-old job applicant who contended he was denied employment because of his age. According to the suit, Reinhold Schouweiler was rejected for a […]

Yes! 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to be Persuasive

Employment law attorney Michael Maslanka reviews the book Yes!  50 Scientifically Proven Ways to be Persuasive by Noah J. Goldstein, Steve J. Martin, and Robert B. Cialdini. Review includes lessons from the book about how to be persuasive. Yes!: 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive a so-so title for Noah J. Goldstein, Steve J. […]

Wellness on a Shoestring—Programs that Any Boss Will Fund

Most everyone in HR is convinced that wellness programs are cost effective and good for the organization (and the employees), but that doesn’t mean that management wants to shell out for wellness. Today we share low- and no-cost wellness tips. First, from the Fort Worth Business Press, Jacqueline Benavidez, a client wellness coordinator at McQueary […]