Month: August 2010

New Illinois Law Prohibits Use of Credit History in Hiring Decisions

by Steve Brenneman Effective January 1, 2011, Illinois employers will have yet another restriction on their ability to make employment decisions. A new law will prohibit many employers from basing hiring, promotion, and other employment decisions on an employee or job applicant’s credit history. The Employee Credit Privacy Act (HB 4658), which was signed into […]

Hiring Outlook: Mostly Cloudy for Rest of 2010, HR Pros Say

Many companies are staying put at their current employment levels (40%) or adding only 1-4 jobs (30%) in the last half of 2010, according to results of the Hiring 2010 HR Hero Line survey. Fewer than 15% of the respondents are planning to reduce staffs. Companies that are adding jobs cited a variety of reasons, […]

Eject Him! Attorneys Say JetBlue Shouldn’t Let Employee’s Tirade Slide

By now, most people have probably heard about Steven Slater, the JetBlue flight attendant who became America’s newest so-called “folk hero” after he told off a difficult passenger, grabbed a beer, and exited a plane via the inflatable emergency chute. We decided to ask several employment law attorneys — all members of the Employers Counsel […]

Grade Inflation, Essential Functions—More Mistakes Managers Make

In yesterday’s Advisor, we covered basic mistakes managers make; today, more expensive mistakes in performance management and job descriptions, and an introduction to a job description program that will eliminate those mistakes.  [Go here for mistakes 1 to 5.] Mistake #6: Grade Inflation Too often, managers give satisfactory or higher ratings for poor performance. This […]

Eight Basic Mistakes in HR Management

There are three “legs” that support managers and supervisors in doing their jobs—policies and practices, performance management, and job descriptions. Unfortunately, in many companies, each leg is weakened by basic mistakes that make compliance difficult Here are the most common mistakes: Policies and Practices Mistakes Mistake #1: No policies at All The no policies approach […]

‘New’ OSHA Uses Old Policy to Make Example of Employers

OSHA is making aggressive use of “egregious violations” to levy large fines and make an example of employers where it considers hazards to have been very serious, including a $16.6 million fine in Connecticut last week and another case in Wisconsin. But the question is whether the violations will hold up in the face of […]

Work Permits: Employee Transfers for Canadian Start-Ups

by Isabelle Dongier In our March 22, 2010 article, we explained the simplified and expedited processes for obtaining a temporary work permit for foreign employees transferred from outside Canada to a Canadian parent, subsidiary, branch or affiliate company. These intracompany transfers provide a significant benefit for companies — they exempt them from demonstrating their reasonable […]

Situations and Actions that Predict Possible Violence

In yesterday’s Advisor, we shared OSHA’s take on workplace violence. Today, tips on spotting potentially violent situations from BLR®‘s 10-Minute HR Trainer. Be Alert to Work Situations that Could Potentially Lead to Violence People may be more likely to go over the edge into violent behavior at work when they: Are fired or laid off […]

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 August 9. 1. The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell. How and why certain products and ideas become fads. 2. Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of […]

Workplace Violence—Steps You Should Take to Prevent It

Workplace violence can range from threats and verbal abuse to physical assaults and homicide, one of the leading causes of job-related deaths. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to reduce the likelihood of violence in your workplace. Who Is Vulnerable? According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), some 2 million American workers […]