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An Employment Lawyer’s Thoughts on How Businesses Can Remain Union-Free: Part 1

by D. Michael Henthorne I’ve been asked to address a group of nursing managers in one of South Carolina’s leading hospital systems on avoiding labor unions and recognizing union-organizing activities. Despite growing up the son of a Teamster (my father was a truck driver), for most of the last 29 years I have lived in […]

Flexible Workplace Programs Promote Work-Life Balance

“Work-life balance” is one of the most popular HR buzz phrases. Yet until a few years ago, work-life concerns were relatively unheard of. Nontraditional workplace and scheduling alternatives like working from home were considered a perk available to a fortunate few or as a temporary accommodation for a stressed-out employee. Employer programs like the flexible […]

Digital Danger: Prevention Starts with Policies

Note: There is no E-pinion today as we’ve reorganized the week a bit to deal with the holiday. Bob Brady will return next Friday with an E-pinion on how to handle pay increases for new employees who do outstanding jobs. As we saw in yesterday’s Advisor, new technology has generated a string of issues in […]

Travel Pay: What Time Is Paid Work Time When Nonexempt Employees Travel?

We’re having a devil of a time figuring out precisely how to pay our nonexempt employees when they travel. If they travel by air and stay overnight, do we start paying as soon as they leave their house for the airport? Then let’s say the plane lands at 7 p.m., they go to the hotel, […]

Digital Devices: Are They ‘Slurping’ Your Data, Driving Productivity … or Both?

Cell phones, BlackBerry®, PDAs, iPod® devices, personal laptops, and flash memory sticks—they’re in your workplace, perhaps by the dozens, but are they posing more dangers than you know? Our experts sort it out. Especially now that gift-giving season has come and gone, you are probably seeing them in your workplace … gadgets! Everything from iPods […]

Best Audio Books of 2007

For many of you, it’s the first day back to work after the holidays, which means you’re swamped with voice-mails, e-mails, meetings and performance appraisals. As (reading) time is short these days, enjoy the following Hot List, which ticks off the top business audio books for 2007. This list is courtesy of the “Audies.” Think […]

Family and Medical Leave: Bizarre Behavior May Give Employer Notice of Need for Leave; Overview of Notice Requirements

One compliance gray area for employers under the family and medical leave laws concerns the notice employees must provide when they need to take leave. Of course, the easiest situation is when an employee fills out a leave request form and gives you a medical certification supporting the need for leave. But as a recent […]

IRS Ups Mileage Deduction … and Why HRDA Looks Different Today

As the new business year begins, Daily Advisor Managing Editor Jay Schleifer takes a moment to thank you for your past support and to let you know about some significant improvements in our program. First and foremost, Happy New Year! As 2008 opens, there are developments to report. Today, for example, marks the start of […]