Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
One of the clearest indications of an administration’s priorities is the budget and the amount of funding provided to various programs. Budgets always have winners and losers and reflect the degree to which programs will be implemented. A review of President Barack Obama’s proposed budget and recent agency actions demonstrates that increased enforcement of labor […]
According to the most recent Regional and State Employment and Unemployment Summary from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, state and regional unemployment rates continued their upward climb throughout the month of March. Forty-six states reported unemployment rate increases in March, and all 50 states and the District of Columbia have higher rates than they did […]
Litigation Value: $250,000 The “Café Disco” episode of The Office might as well have been called “The Hostile Work Environment.” Or “The No Work Environment.” Dunder Mifflin Scranton turned into a coffee house dance bar at the expense of any corporate productivity. A hostile work environment exists when an employee experiences workplace harassment and fears […]
By BLR Founder and CEO Bob Brady Bob Brady finds the balance between two seemingly conflicting pieces of advice—”Avoid mistakes” and “Try something”—and admits to a few mistakes of his own. In the last couple of days I’ve come across two contrasting, intriguing quotes. One, from Franklin Roosevelt when he was facing the grave economic […]
In yesterday’s Advisor, attorney Leslie Silverman discussed HR responses to the recently-passed Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. Today, we’ll cover her suggestions for insuring pay equity, and we’ll take a look at a unique checklist-based audit system. Silverman noted that the law does not require “equality,” but it does require “equity.” Equity can be encouraged […]
Employers all over the country will soon be hiring summer workers, many of them minors. If you are an employer with jobs that the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has listed as hazardous to minors, then take note. One Atlanta employer has learned a hard lesson at the expense of a teenage worker’s life. The […]
Documenting the reasons for pay decisions is the key to avoiding liability under the new Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, says attorney Leslie E. Silverman. And you’re going to need to keep those records longer. The Ledbetter Act effectively extends the deadline for filing a pay-bias complaint under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act […]
Trust. Webster’s defines it as “assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something; or one in which confidence is placed.” Based on this definition, how many of us would say that the average employee trusts senior management? Not many. In fact, research shows that less than half of all employees […]
Managing absenteeism can be a significant challenge for Canadian employers. A wide variety of factual situations may be complicated by employment standards, privacy and human rights laws, as well as any applicable union agreements. An example of the potential challenges of implementing an attendance management program (AMP) is the decade-long battle between Coast Mountain Bus […]
Ontario is looking to reduce violence and harassment in the workplace. To that end, Bill 168, An Act to amend the Occupational Health and Safety Act with respect to violence and harassment in the workplace, received first reading on April 20, 2009. Bill 168, if passed, would amend the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA). […]