Month: September 2013

Make Sure Supervisors Understand Alternate-Duty Work

Your supervisors need to understand alternate-duty work—what it is and what it isn’t. Share with them the following important information on this topic. Alternate-duty work is one of the most important ways to ease a recovering employee’s return to work. Alternate-duty work is a transitional phase for a worker recovering from a job-related injury or […]

Metrics—How to Know Your Comp System Is OK

How can you know if your comp program is meeting organization goals? You have to maintain metrics, says consultant Terry Pasteris, CCP, GRP. But there are metrics, and then there are metrics. Why Are Compensation Metrics Important? Pasteris, who is president of TLMP Consulting Group, offered her tips at a recent BLR®-sponsored webinar. She says […]

What Hiring E-Records Should You Keep?

So, you’ve made the switch to all electronic employee records: How do you know what hiring e-records to keep? In a recent BLR webinar, attorney Allen Kato tackled this topic and gave us some advice. Hiring E-Records to Keep Here are the hiring e-records to keep: Job descriptions and job postings. These should identify the […]

Marijuana ‘Gift’ Gets TA Kicked Out of School

We’ve heard of some usual gifts for coworkers, like a bag of ice, a self-recorded CD, and even toilet paper. But those aren’t likely to land you in jail like this Rhode Island teacher assistant. The TA made a big—not to mention illegal—mistake when he allegedly gave his principal some marijuana as a congratulations present. […]

Group Job Interview Turns into Dance Audition

The group interview at the Cardiff, the Wales branch of a U.K. electronics chain, turned from a discussion of qualifications for the job into a dance audition, and the applicants weren’t jumping for joy about it. To show they could think on their feet, applicants were asked to come up with an impromptu routine to […]

resume lies

What’s the Oddest Thing You’ve Seen in a Résumé?

What’s the weirdest thing you’ve seen in a résumé? Did it work? If you said “no,” see if your experience topped these HR pros’ hiring tales. CareerBuilder asked survey respondents to share the most memorable and unusual applications they have come across. Here are a few of the oddest: If at first you don’t succeed […]

Incentive Pay Isn’t for Nonexempts—Or Is It?

Variable pay is a powerful communicator of values and directions and changing business needs. However, with nonexempt employees, it is particularly important that: The amount of the incentive be market competitive and significant enough to reward in a meaningful way. The amount of incentive (aka pay at risk) is not so large that missing the […]

Alcohol and drugs in the workplace: What to do if you suspect substance abuse

Employers have an obligation to ensure employees are not using alcohol and drugs in the workplace because it could affect the safety of the whole team. There is latitude to discipline employees if alcohol or drugs are being used, but employers need to proceed with caution to handle the situation appropriately if substance abuse is suspected.

Governor signs bill raising California minimum wage

by Cathleen Yonahara On September 25, California Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. signed Assembly Bill (AB) 10, which will raise the state minimum wage in stages to $10 per hour. Employers will be required to raise wages to $9 per hour by July 1, 2014, and to $10 per hour by January 1, 2016. The […]

Do Your People Need Training on Return-to-Work Programs?

Let’s talk about easing an employee’s return to work after recovering from a workers’ compensation injury or illness. Rehabilitation programs help employees regain strength or learn to function with a disability. Therapy teaches employees ways to work without reinjury or repeat illness—for example, proper lifting techniques or stress management techniques. Medical professionals will determine when […]