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Discipline: What Do You Recommend to Improve Our Discipline Process and Remedy Employee Misconduct?

We are trying to make better sense of our discipline system. After people get a verbal and then a written warning, we suspend and ultimately fire them if the misconduct continues. But the suspension seems more like a gift than a punishment to many of our workers. What do you recommend for the “serious” steps […]

Exempt Employees: Deductions for Disability Leave Didn’t Violate Salary Basis Rule; Tips for Reviewing Your Plan

Under California and federal law, an exempt employee must receive his or her full salary for any week in which the person performs any work, regardless of the quality or number of hours worked. This is known as the “salary basis” rule. If you dock an exempt employee’s weekly salary, you could violate this rule […]

A Shameless Plug: Vote For Our Beloved Blawg!

We’ve been selected as one of the ABA Journal’s Blawg 100, a list of the 100 best blogs for lawyers as selected by the editors of the ABA Journal, the flagship magazine of the American Bar Association. And they’re running a contest to determine which are the most popular. We are under the “gossip” category. […]

The Strike Continues

Well, the strike of the writers’ union continues.  I don’t do that much traditional labor work so I’ve asked my colleague, Jerry Coker, to help me out as he is the firm guru on all things traditional labor.  He is also a huge fan of the show.  Here is what Jerry had to say: Nothing too funny about a […]

The Truth About Alcohol at Office Parties

‘Twas the night of the office party, and all through the houses, Employees were getting ready, and so were their spouses. Ties were knotted and straightened with care. Women put on dresses and combed through their hair. The children were ready, all showered and fed And continued to play Xbox until it was time for […]

“Happiness Haters Unite" Column Generates Funny (and Profound) Feedback

By BLR Founder and CEO Bob Brady Advisor readers never cease to amaze. My E-pinion “Happiness Haters Unite”, that ran on November 2, drew a surprising volume and variety of responses, some funny and some profound. I based the column on a study conducted by Harvard that concluded that happier workers were more productive. I […]

Will Your FLSA Audit Turn Into a ‘Smoking Gun’?

FLSA audits are important, as we saw in yesterday’s Advisor, and we want to help you do them right, but first, note the one factor you absolutely must have in place, if you do one at all. In almost every case, you’re going to be ahead of the game—and the Department of Labor investigators—when you […]

The Strike

Looks like the folks at Dunder Mifflin will still be teaching us valuable lessons — even when they don’t know it.  Check back on Friday morning for some valuable tips on labor relations brought to us courtesy of the screen writers guild!

Woe Is I: A Grammarphobe’s Guide to Better English in Plain English

Resources for Humans Managing Editor Celeste Blackburn reviews the book Woe Is I: A Grammarphobe’s Guide to Better English in Plain English by Patricia T. O’Conner. Review highlights book’s tips for writing e-mails and avoiding cliches. The pen is mightier than the sword. We’ve all heard it, and since we are meeting on a blog […]