Archives

Hot List: NY Times Bestselling Hardcover Business Books

The following is a list of the bestselling hardcover business books as ranked by the New York Times on September 22. 1.The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich by by Timothy Ferriss. Because life isn’t all about work. 2. The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness by […]

It’s Layoff Time–and EEOC Is Watching

How’s this for a news flash: People don’t like to get fired. And when they do get fired, they look for someone else to blame. Guess who? “You fired me because I’m X (fill in the blank with the name of a protected class).” That’s one lawsuit, but that’s not the end of it. The […]

Kids Back to School–Parents Too?

Summer is over, and the kids are back at school—and so are their parents. As you well know, some of your employees will undoubtedly be traveling to their children’s schools at various times throughout the school year for meetings and activities. Do you know the rules regarding when parents can take work leave to participate […]

‘Beeting’ Back Financial Crisis

Wall Street is taking a beating. Still. AIG’s collapse is just the latest in a series of events that is increasingly having an effect on our lives and the companies we work for. Dunder Mifflin has encountered its share of financial problems including layoffs and even a branch closing. As you recall, the gang in […]

Ways for Workers and Businesses to Save Money by Cutting Gas and Energy Use

Your employees are probably feeling the pinch, and in many workplaces, talk has already turned to winter survival and energy costs if heating oil, natural gas, and electricity are as expensive as it looks like they will be. You’d like to help, but businesses are feeling the pinch, too. Rising energy costs make it more […]

Helping Workers Deal With Financial Stress

The current recession has taken its toll on the United States, and many Americans are still fighting to stay financially afloat.  Consumer confidence is down. According to the American Bankruptcy Institute,  consumer bankruptcies rose by  24 percent nationwide in August from the same period a year ago, and during the first six months of 2009, […]

When Must Employers Pay Mileage Reimbursements?

by Gary Jiles Q: The continuing increase in gas prices has caused me some concern lately because I often have to send my employees on work-related errands or trips. When and how much am I required to reimburse my employees for mileage, or am I even required to reimburse them at all? And do mileage […]

Workplace negativity–Don’t just say NO

By BLR Founder and CEO Bob Brady BLR CEO Bob Brady is on vacation this week, so we’re offering one of his most popular columns that deals with a problem that most all HR managers face—negativity. A reader recently wrote to ask how to deal with “negativity,” specifically, employees who can see only the dark […]

Taming Intermittent Leave FMLA (Ha, Ha, Says Expert)

“Let’s talk about how to handle abuse of intermittent leave rules,” says attorney Jeffrey A. Wortman. Then he chuckles, underscoring the near impossibility of easily managing intermittent leave under the FMLA. Wortman, a partner in the Los Angeles office of Seyfarth Shaw LLP, and Nancy M. Cooper a partner in the Portland, Oregon, office of […]

Will the Brinker Meal and Rest Breaks Decision Stand?

Most California employers know by now that a California appeals court recently issued an important decision in Brinker Restaurant Corp. v. Superior Court, interpreting the state’s meal and rest period requirements and giving employers and employees welcome flexibility in scheduling breaks. (See our complete coverage here.)