Archives

New Supervisors: Two Critical Success Factors

New supervisors have a lot to learn about managing their people, and that’s to say nothing of the numerous compliance challenges they face. Compassionate but untrained supervisors can quickly create surprisingly expensive liabilities.

Survey Says: More than Half of Companies Now Offer PTO

By BLR Founder and CEO Bob Brady In our January 2010 Survey of Paid Time Off (PTO) Practices, 54% of respondents had a PTO plan rather than a traditional plan with individual policies for vacation, sick leave, and personal leave. By contrast, in BLR’s Survey of Employee Benefits in late 2007, only 43% used a […]

Trade Secrets, Confidential Information, and Employee Theft

by John Vering A recent national survey found that 59 percent of employees who quit or were laid off or terminated in the last 12 months admitted to stealing company data, and 67 percent admitted to using their former employer’s confidential data to find a new job. Read on to learn what you can do […]

‘Voluntary’ Resignation Supports Discrimination, Retaliation Claims

The Tenth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals recently overturned a trial court’s dismissal of a case without trial. The case was filed by a female manager in Colorado who claimed she was discriminated against after being forced to choose between moving to California as a part-time customer service representative or “voluntarily” resigning. HR Guide to […]

Health Care Reform: One “Check Up” You Shouldn’t Miss

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) passed but left many implementation details unclarified, says Michael P. Aitken. Significant regulatory process will continue for years, he says. What is clear is that HR managers will be dealing with PPACA issues all the way along. Use this article as a checklist or reminder of all […]

Sincerity Is Strength

Over the past few weeks, I have been reminded what a powerful trait sincerity can be in the workplace.  Webster’s defines sincerity as “the quality or state of being sincere, honesty of mind, freedom from hypocrisy.” I like that term “honesty of mind.” It strikes me that when you encounter someone who is truly sincere, […]

What, That Was a Request for FMLA?

Biggest Failure The biggest problem with FMLA is frontline supervisors who have heard clear notice of the need for FMLA, but who didn’t understand what it meant or what to do, says Attorney Tam Yelling Training is, of course, the answer. Supervisors and managers need to be trained that requesters don’t need to use any […]

Legislation Seeks to Curb Employee Misclassification via Fines, Notice Rules

Adding momentum to federal agencies’ ongoing initiatives to crack down on employee misclassification, the U.S. House and Senate have introduced legislation intended to curtail the misclassification of employees as independent contractors. The Employee Misclassification Prevention Act, introduced April 22, would amend the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) to impose additional compliance and record-keeping requirements on […]

FLSA Recordkeeping, FMLA Rule Revisions Planned for Later This Year

This morning the Department of Labor (DOL) hosted its final two agency agenda web chat sessions, beginning with an hour-long segment hosted by the Wage and Hour Division (WHD). Deputy Administrator Nancy Leppink fielded questions and provided insight toward the Division’s current regulatory initiatives. The agenda priorities for the Division in the Spring agenda include […]

Michigan Indoor-Smoking Ban Takes Effect Saturday

Effective May 1, 2010, smoking will be prohibited in most Michigan workplaces, restaurants, and bars. The law, known as the “Dr. Ron Davis Law,” was signed by Governor Jennifer Granholm on December 18, 2009, and bans smoking indoors in Michigan “public places.” Under the law, “public places” are defined to include most places of employment, […]