Month: April 2009

Back to Business

Litigation Value: $0 Since Troy is away on business, I’m guest-blogging again. And what a week to do so –- there’s a lot to talk about from the “Casual Friday” episode. Although many HR folks can appreciate HR director Toby Flenderson’s dilemma dealing with employees taking casual Friday too far, there wasn’t a lot in […]

Careful What You Wish For: GM Management’s Payback to Obama and the UAW?

I read Tuesday that General Motors Corporation outlined a new plan that would give the U.S. government a controlling stake in the company. In addition, GM said it would use stock to pay off half of the amount it owes the United Auto Workers (UAW) to cover retiree benefits. I checked my calendar. It wasn’t […]

Award Programs? Be Wary of Legal Pitfalls

Yesterday’s Advisor showed how one company handles tiered recognition. Today we’ll look at legal issues and other considerations for award policies, and take a look at a unique program for developing all the policies you need. As with most HR endeavors, employee recognition and award programs come with legal baggage. Here are the three issues […]

Government Resources for Employers on H1N1 Swine Flu

Many departments and agencies in the federal government provide helpful information for individuals, businesses and health care providers on responding to pandemic flu and developing plans to deal with contagious diseases and other emergencies. The following is information from the federal government directed toward businesses. Pandemic Preparedness in the Workplace and the Americans with Disabilities […]

Retention? Who Needs to Worry About That?

Think you don’t have to worry about retention in a down economy? Many experts suggest it’s especially important these days, particularly for the employees you value most. Today’s Advisor explores how one company uses a tiered recognition approach. Effective employee recognition is timely and meaningful, says Tommy Lee Hayes-Brown, AIC, a certified recognition professional and […]

Issues When Entering Canada with a Criminal Record

Times have changed. Borders, too. Frequent business travelers know that and leave earlier to allow for longer security controls. But they are sometimes astonished when a border officer declares them inadmissible to Canada for criminality. A new environment Nowadays, border officers work in an enforcement environment. A much greater emphasis is now put on security […]

PEDs: Exit Ramp for Your Confidential Data?

PEDs (portable electronic devices) may truly be productivity boosters (although managers watching employees texting, Twittering, and gaming may not be so sure). But they are also potential carriers of critical information about customers, employees, and the company itself. Yesterday’s Advisor covered 10 policy issues surrounding PEDs. ( Go here to see them.) Today, we continue […]

President Obama Announces NLRB Nominations

President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate Craig Becker and Mark Pearce to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) in a White House press release issued Friday, April 24, 2009. Congress created the NLRB in 1935 to administer the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), the principal law that governs relations between labor unions, employers, […]

Hot List: New York Times Bestselling Paperback Business Books

The following is a list of the bestselling paperback business books as ranked by the New York Times on April 27. 1. Suze Orman’s 2009 Action Plan by Suze Orman. Managing your money in hard times. 2. The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell. How and why certain […]