Month: October 2011

Building a Cohesive Team

Recently, at a company luncheon, I was asked about my favorite movie. Ask about the business and I’m quick with an answer. But the question about my favorite movie was nearly a stumper. I scrambled to come up with something and ultimately came up with a reply, but really wasn’t satisfied with my response. Well, […]

Ex-Employee to Pay Employer

By Lyne Duhaime When an employee in Canada fails to fulfill his functions as expected, the ultimate consequence is a termination of employment “for cause,” which implies that no notice or other severance is paid to him by the employer. The Superior Court of Quebec recently went further. In Valeurs mobilières Desjardins inc. v. Beaulne, […]

‘I Can’t Live on What You’re Paying Me’ Conversations

Today’s tips are again from a recent BLR webinar featuring Teresa Murphy and David Wudyka. Murphy is the principal consultant for HR Partner Advantage, an HR advisory firm based in Raleigh, N.C. Wudyka, SPHR, MBA, BSIE, is the founder and managing principal of Westminster Associates, a Massachusetts-based human resource and compensation firm. Complaint:  “I can’t […]

I Stopped My Harasser in His Tracks

In yesterday’s Advisor, Holly Kearl, author of Stop Street Harassment: Making Public Places Safe and Welcoming for Women, offered 5 ways to stop harassers and 10 examples of what to say to them. Today, two ‘success” stories from harassment victims, plus an introduction to the all-in-one HR website, HR.BLR.com. Kearl, a program manager for the […]

IRS Ups Deductions for 401(k) and IRA Plans

Starting 2012, savers can sock away $17,000 per year in a 401(k) retirement plan without paying upfront taxes, up from $16,500 in 2010. This increase applies to all 401(k) and 403(b) plans, most 457 plans and the federal government’s Thrift Savings Plan. The last time the IRS raised this elective deferral (contribution) limit was in […]

Where’s My Raise?—How to Handle Tough Pay Conversations

Teresa Murphy and David Wudyka have some ideas about how to make those conversations go a little better. Murphy is the principal consultant for HR Partner Advantage, an HR advisory firm based in Raleigh, N.C. Wudyka, SPHR, MBA, BSIE, is the founder and managing principal of Westminster Associates, a Massachusetts-based human resource and compensation firm. […]

How to Respond to a Harasser? 10 Things to Say

“How should I respond to a harasser?” is a question I’m often asked when I give talks about sexual harassment that occurs in public spaces,” says Holly Kearl. In today’s Advisor, she shares specifics of what to say to harassers. Kearl, a program manager for the AAUW, is a national street harassment expert based in […]

Are Forces of Secrecy Blocking Path to Health Cost Control?

Health reform has passed and it was supposed to change the world. But it has yet to take effective action on the biggest problem — the upward spiral of health costs! Raise your hand if you think there is a connection between insurers’ and providers’ lack of transparency on premiums and fees, and that upward […]

California Expands Health Insurance Protection for Pregnant Workers

Starting Jan. 1, 2012, employers in California with five or more employees must continue paying their share of health insurance premiums for female employees taking leave under the Pregnancy Disability Leave law for up to four months in any 12-month period. Employers will also be liable for interfering with, restraining or denying the exercise of […]

California Laws Clamp Down on Wage and Hour Violators; Misclassifiers Could Lose Business Licenses

Two new California state laws, signed by Gov. Jerry Brown Oct. 9, raise the stakes for companies that violate the state’s wage and hour laws. Assembly Bill No. 459, among the latest move by feds and the states to crack down on independent contractor abuse, prohibits willful misclassification of employees as independent contractors. The law […]