Month: August 2013

10 Workplace Habits That Bother the Brits

Our British friends are known for keeping a stiff upper lip in the face of grave adversity. However, there are some little (and often nasty) things that their coworkers do that really bother them. In a recent survey of over 5,000 workers on the Top 10 Workplace annoyances, in the UK, the winners (in order […]

Blog Confessions Get Reporter Fired

Last month, a news reporter was fired for a personal post on her blog. On a follow-up post the reporter claims: “I was never asked to take the blog down. I was fired without discussion. I took the blog down immediately following my termination, then reposted it Friday evening.” So what was so bad about […]

Could a Higher Income Make You a Worse Person?

According to UC Berkeley social psychologist Paul Piff, the wealthier you are the worse you may act. On his website he writes: “Some of my work in this area documents what might be described as an empathy gap between individuals from different social class groups. Specifically, I have been finding that increased wealth and status in […]

Just How Important is Safety Training?

Case studies provide real-life examples of why it is important for learners to complete safety training and apply that knowledge back on the job. Let’s look at a few. In the month of June alone, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued statements regarding citations to five companies where training might have helped […]

Employers: Be prepared for an EEOC lawsuit

by Kevin J. Skelly Employers sued by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) often face more challenging demands for discovery and settlement agreements than companies facing lawsuits filed by individual employees. Let’s look at what you can expect if the EEOC comes knocking at your door. How an EEOC investigation works Employers are often all […]

Severance pay in California: Considerations for employers

Severance pay in California is not legally mandated, but many employers opt to use it for other reasons. One of the main reasons to utilize severance pay (also called a separation payment) is to get the employee to sign a release of claims against the organization. Here are some general points to understand if utilizing severance pay in California:

GOP Emphasizes Job-hindering Aspects of Health Reform Mandates; Feds Clarify Employer Guidance

In spite of its one-year suspension of the employer mandate under health care reform, the government added implementation and compliance materials for employers to government websites. Meanwhile Republican legislators attacked not only reform’s revenue and penalty collection functions, but also its definition of full-time employees as 30 hours per week, saying it must become 40 hours a […]

Metrics Make the Manager–3 Free Ones for HR

Lots of managers live and die by metrics these days, but they’re not all easy or cheap. Here are three free statistics that you can use to evaluate current economic conditions and predict employee compensation trends. The three stats are released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, or BLS (www.bls.gov)., a branch of the U.S. […]

8 Steps to Stopping Intermittent/Reduced Leave Abuse

Alexis, who offered his intermittent leave tips during BLR’s Advanced Employment Issues Symposium, held recently in Las Vegas, is with the Kinaga Law Firm in Los Angeles. 1. Insist on Complete Certs Make sure the medical certification is fully completed, urges Alexis. As the employer, you are entitled to a complete and sufficient certification document. […]

Extend Electrical Safety Training to Include Extension Cords

The following extension cord safety training material is adapted from today’s featured safety training product, 7-Minute Safety Trainer®. Extension cords are such a common item in the workplace and in the home, that many people take them for granted and fail to realize that they can be hazardous if used improperly. To prevent accidents, employees […]