In yesterday’s Advisor, we introduced the Undercover HR Boss. Today, more of what we think you’ll find if you go undercover, plus an introduction to the extraordinary one-stop website, HR.BLR.com.
‘Punch out and then finish up, OK?’
Wage/hour management seems easy but it often is not. As one expert says, “No company is 100 percent in compliance with wage and hour law.” One of the most common offenses involves off-the-clock work.
It’s not unusual for managers or supervisors to insist that people come in early off the clock to set up for the day (e.g., prep equipment, set tables, fill cash registers) or to do similar tasks at the end of the workday after clocking out (e.g., counting cash, making deposits, oiling equipment).
Often this happens because management has issued a “no overtime” rule, while there’s still work to do that can’t be accomplished during the regular shift. Supervisors are caught between a rock and a hard place. It’s easier to lean on the workers than to tell the boss that the work didn’t get done.
Stupid Management Ideas
Sometimes supervisors and managers get ideas into their heads that should have been nipped in the bud. For example:
“Survivor”-Style Performance Management. This manager decided that a good way to improve the team was to vote one employee out each month at a tribal meeting similar to the process on the TV show, “Survivor.” “The tribe has spoken.” Unfortunately, so will the jury.
HR budget cuts? Let us help. HR.BLR.com® is your one-stop solution for all your HR compliance and training needs. Take a no-cost, no-obligation trial and get a complimentary copy of our special report Critical HR Recordkeeping—From Hiring to Termination. It’s yours—no matter what you decide.
Paddling as a Sales Motivator
To motivate sales people, one manager took to doing public paddling-fraternity style-of the sales people who didn’t meet their quotas. “Bend over and grab your ankles.” Needless to say, this process eventually resulted in an expensive lawsuit.
What will you find if you go undercover? We don’t know for sure, but we do know that it’s not the only challenge you’ll be facing. You’re dealing with, what, a couple of dozen recurring challenges? Like FMLA intermittent leave, overtime, ADA accommodation, and sexual harassment, to name just a few?
You need a go-to resource, and our editors recommend the “everything-HR-in-one website,” HR.BLR.com. As an example of what you will find, here are some policy recommendations concerning e-mail, excerpted from a sample policy on the website:
Privacy. The director of information services can override any individual password and thus has access to all e-mail messages in order to ensure compliance with company policy. This means that employees do not have an expectation of privacy in their company e-mail or any other information stored or accessed on company computers.
E-mail review. All e-mail is subject to review by management. Your use of the e-mail system grants consent to the review of any of the messages to or from you in the system in printed form or in any other medium.
Solicitation. In line with our general nonsolicitation policy, e-mail must not be used to solicit for outside business ventures, personal parties, social meetings, charities, membership in any organization, political causes, religious causes, or other matters not connected to the company’s business.
We should point out that this is just one of hundreds of sample policies on the site. (You’ll also find analysis of laws and issues, job descriptions, and complete training materials for hundreds of HR topics.)
Find out what the buzz is all about. Take a no-cost look at HR.BLR.com, solve your top problem, and get a complimentary gift.
You can examine the entire HR.BLR.com program free of any cost or commitment. It’s quite remarkable—30 years of accumulated HR knowledge, tools, and skills gathered in one place and accessible at the click of a mouse.
What’s more, we’ll supply a free downloadable copy of our special report, Critical HR Recordkeeping—From Hiring to Termination, just for looking at HR.BLR.com. If you’d like to try it at absolutely no cost or obligation to continue (and get the special report, no matter what you decide), go here.