Month: August 2011

FLSA Overtime Case Settles for $5M

If employees in a brokerage company merely comply with client wishes by executing transactions for them, the brokerage must properly classify their status under the Fair Labor Standards Act, and pay them overtime, when they work more than 40 hours in a work week. If the brokerage wants to exempt employees from the law’s overtime […]

Resuscitate COBRA Premium Subsidies to Help Unemployed, Commonwealth Fund Says

In the waning days of the COBRA premium subsidy, The Commonwealth Fund is calling for the program to be resuscitated as a way to help unemployed and uninsured workers until health care reform is fully implemented. In an Aug. 24 issue brief,  the Fund noted that “the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression has […]

Daniel Pink: Is Management an Anachronism?

Pink, author of popular management books including his latest, Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, offered examples of how employers give today’s employees the autonomy they want—and that you need them to have.  Is Management an Anachronism?  Management is not a God-given mandate, says Pink, it’s a technology from the 1850s. It’s designed […]

Smart Tips for Investigations

Yesterday, we looked at 5 tips for conducting an effective sexual harassment investigation. Today, 4 more — plus an introduction to an in-depth investigations webinar next week, specifically for California employers. [Click here for yesterday’s tips] 6. Communicate your findings to both the employee and the alleged harasser and provide them with the opportunity to […]

Creating an Evacuation Plan in Light of the Earthquake? Don’t Forget the ADA

Employers are not required by law to prepare an emergency evacuation plan but if one exists, a plan for building occupants with disabilities must be included. Importantly, the Americans With Disabilities Act permits employers to ask employees whether they will require assistance in the event of an evacuation because of a disability. However, the law […]

Unthinking: The Surprising Forces Behind What We Buy

Employment law attorney Mike Maslanka reviews Harry Beckwith’s book Unthinking: The Surprising Forces Behind What We Buy. Take a look at Harry Beckwith’s insightful new book Unthinking: The Surprising Forces Behind What We Buy (See all Marketing Consumer Behavior Books). The book reminds me of a quote from Dr. Samuel Johnson: “It is always better […]

Daniel Pink: Money’s Not the Motivator We Think It Is

Pink, author of popular management books including his latest, Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, offered examples of how employers give today’s employees the autonomy they want—and that you need them to have.  Is Management an Anachronism?  Management is not a God-given mandate, says Pink, it’s a technology from the 1850s. It’s designed […]

Should You Offer Trainees a Bonus to Quit? Zappos Does

Special from SHRM Las Vegas Focus on your culture, and the profits will follow, says Zappo’s CEO and author of Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose Tony Hsieh. And the culture at Zappos is all about customer service. The company, known primarily for its Internet shoe business, does very little advertising, Hsieh […]

Washington D.C. Earthquake! HR Managers at ‘Epicenter’ of Emergency Planning, Response

As the earthquake that shook Washington, D.C., area today demonstrates, damage to your primary place of business can occur suddenly and without warning. Having a crisis management plan on the ready is essential to minimizing the interruption to your business. The business continuity plan improves the company’s capacity to return to business, thereby minimizing financial […]