Tag: Best Practices

Unions Seeking to Organize in Nontraditional Industries, Including Financial Services

Union-organizing efforts aren’t limited to historical union strongholds like manufacturing, construction, and the public sector. Even though unions currently represent only about 1.3% of the financial services industry, they’re looking to organize financial services employees. Case in point: On December 20, 2023, Wells Fargo branch employees in Albuquerque, New Mexico, voted 5 to 3 in […]

From $366 Million to $249,000: Takeaways for Employers from Appellate Ruling on Damages Caps

Among the many perils of litigation, one of the biggest concerns employers express is the risk of an astronomical jury verdict. On Feb. 1, 2024, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals addressed this issue when it cut an eye-popping $366 million jury verdict against FedEx to just $249,000. The decision in Harris v. FedEx Corporate […]

Healthcare Leaders Shares Best Practices for Communicating with Unions

Right now, it seems like every day there are new cases of workers striking or unionizing all across the country. Healthcare is no exception: nurses everywhere are going on strike. Nurses are frustrated, and the recent union activity is indicative of large, widespread problems in the nursing industry with staffing, work environment, and nurse wellbeing. […]

Managing artificial intelligence in the workplace

The last several years have seen artificial intelligence (AI) become mainstream in the workplace. Today, HR professionals widely use AI tools for recruiting, onboarding, and administering leave and benefits. Managers use generative AI to assist with their administrative and supervisory responsibilities, such as writing performance reviews. Engineers use AI to write or check code. And […]

Child Labor Continues to Be a Significant Problem in 2024

According to the Department of Labor (DOL), recent years have seen an enormous increase in the amount of child labor violations within the United States. For example, the DOL found child labor violations affecting 5,792 children in fiscal year (FY) 2023, up from 3,876 in FY 2022. In response, Congress, the Biden administration, and the […]

4 Tips to Success for Incoming CEOs

Whether you’re stepping into the role of CEO at a new organization or stepping up at the same place, gauging how to make an immediate impact can often be challenging. That’s a situation Phil Wright knows all too well after logging his first few months on the job at Memorial Regional Hospital South, which he […]

Ask the Expert: PUMP the ‘Breaks’ on Disciplining Nursing Mothers

Question: We have an employee who is currently breastfeeding and having issues with her performance. She’s reserving our mother’s room four times per workday for an hour each time. Is there a way to navigate this excessive use of the accommodation according to the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA)? We’re concerned about her ability to get […]

What Employers Can Learn from the UAW and Big Three Strike

In mid-September, the United Auto Workers (UAW), which represents nearly 150,000 auto workers, began targeted strikes at certain factories and warehouses around the country run by Ford, GM, and Stellantis NV (formerly Chrysler), the “Big Three” automakers. Although auto strikes against the Big Three aren’t unprecedented, this recent strike had two novel aspects. First, it […]

Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory: A Sweet World with Sour Labor and Employment Practices

The close of 2023 treated us to Wonka, a prequel to the beloved childhood classic, shedding light on the origins of the iconic Chocolate Factory. Although Willy Wonka initially began his chocolate empire with good intentions, he inadvertently concocted a recipe for labor and employment violations. As employers aim to sweeten their practices in 2024, […]

Reframe Criticism to Become a Better Motivator

Be honest: Are you a good motivator at work? Scott Adams, the author of Reframe Your Brain: The User Interface for Happiness and Success, likely disagrees with your answer. But he gives us a way to rethink—or, as he puts it, reframe—our mindset on motivation. I, too, spend a lot of time thinking about this […]