Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
Just My E-pinionBy Eileen McDargh, CSP, CPAE Things getting a little desperate these days? Be careful that you don’t do something you’ll regret, says guest columnist Eileen McDargh, a professional speaker and business consultant on change management, life balance, and leadership development. Here are her top five management mistakes (plus a bonus). Mistake #1: Become […]
Federal Contractors Beware: Employees Can Sue For Additional Wages in California If you’ve ever contracted to do work for a federal agency, then you’re probably intimately familiar with the federal Service Contract Act of 1965 (SCA)—which spells out what employers working on federal contracts have to pay their employees. Now a California Court of Appeal […]
After a nine-month undercover investigation into the Department of Labor’s (DOL) ability to enforce and investigate violations of federal minimum wage, overtime, and child labor laws, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) reports serious failures. The report, which was released March 25, was prompted by a request from the House Education and Labor Committee. The investigation […]
Yesterday’s Advisor looked at a tragic—but all too frequent—case of an employee using a cell phone while driving and causing an accident with serious injuries. The employer settled for millions of dollars. Today we look at how an appropriate policy can reduce that liability. Wouldn’t a ban on cell phone use while driving be a […]
The new stimulus package, called the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), provides COBRA subsidies for certain employees terminated or laid off between September 1, 2008 and December 31, 2009. The subsidy reduces an employee’s COBRA premium by 65% for up to nine months, provided that the employee meets the eligibility requirements. Last […]
Resources for Humans managing editor Celeste Blackburn reviews Geoff Smart and Randy Street’s book Who: The A Method for Hiring. According to a study by Recruiting Roundtable, a division of the Corporate Executive Board, employers or their new hires regret their decisions half the time. The bad hiring decisions cost the average organization millions in lower […]
More and more often, accident victims are suing the employers when employees cause accidents while talking on cell phones. Today we look at a classic case—and what it means for your organization. (The following scenario, courtesy of our sister newsletter, the Safety Daily Advisor, is based on a real case.) Valerie Walker used her car […]
By Karen Sargeant In the last several months, we have posted several blog entries detailing how employers can reduce employment costs and/or increase workforce flexibility in these tough economic times. We have talked about furloughs, work-sharing programs, changing employment contracts, adjusting the size of the workforce and reducing employees’ hours of work. But all of […]
In yesterday’s Advisor, attorney Wendy Warner explained how employers make things worse for themselves when lawsuits threaten. Today she shares ideas on how to make things better. Warner usually represents employees, but changed hats at a recent Society for Human Resources (SHRM) convention. Here are her simple steps employers can take “to keep lawyers like […]
After forming an ad hoc committee called the “Committee for a Level Playing Field for Union Elections,” three U.S. retailer giants announced an alternative to the controversial Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA). Starbucks Corp., Costco Wholesale Corp., and Whole Foods Market, Inc., outlined six principles they believe represent a compromise between business and labor interests. […]