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3 Formulas for Better Training

To train better and to get more funding for training, do it “by the numbers.” These days, business is increasingly ruled by numbers. But there are some things that can’t be quantified, right? Like how the human mind can be affected by training. Not so, says training industry leader Bob Pike, speaking to a meeting […]

Human Resources: Should We Outsource HR Activities?

Our management has asked me to explore the possibility of outsourcing substantial parts of our HR function. (They’re not singling us out—other functions are doing the analysis, too). How can we tell what to outsource, and to whom?   — Tammy, HR director in Cupertino

Should We Train Managers As We Do Shamu the Whale?

BLR founder Bob Brady’s look at manager training may be tongue-in-cheek, but there’s a really important principle behind it. There was a wonderful article by author Amy Sutherland in The New York Times recently. She wrote about how animal training technique helped her train her husband. The article could help us train managers and supervisors, […]

The HR Policy-Writing Shortcut

It’s a lot easier to have the human resources policies and procedures you need when you don’t actually have to write them. Here’s the way around having to do it. A recent Daily Advisor article bemoaned the fact that so many companies create human resources policies and procedures manuals and then never use them. “The […]

ADA: EEOC Sues Denny’s, United Airlines for Disability Violations

Last week, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) filed two separate lawsuits charging Denny’s Inc. and United Airlines with violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act. In one case, the EEOC alleged that Denny’s, which operates over 500 restaurants in 30 states, violated the rights of disabled workers by maintaining a maximum medical leave […]

Workers’ Comp: Another Rate Cut on the Way

California Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi has announced he will likely recommend a further workers’ compensation insurance pure premium rate cut of at least 6.3 percent—which would bring the cumulative rate decreases to 58 percent since workers’ comp reform measures were implemented back in 2003.

Your Human Resources Policies and Procedures Manual: The Office Dust Collector?

Open your Human Resources Policies and Procedures Manual for a fresh look and you may find you’ve opened up your whole organization. If you’re like most companies, chances are good your company has a human resources policies and procedures manual. Unfortunately, they’re equally good that that once-vital human resources policies and procedures manual hasn’t been […]

Wage and Hour: Minimum Wage Going Up in California; What Employers Must Know

When Gov. Schwarzenegger signed legislation last month that will raise California’s minimum wage to $8.00 per hour from the current $6.75 per hour, he put the state on course to have the highest minimum wage in the nation when the full hike takes effect. The rate increase will take effect in two stages: minimum wage […]

Super HR Websites: ‘Everything in HR at the Click of a Mouse!’

What if there was a place where all the HR information you need was instantly available? Thanks to the power of the Internet, there is. The recent Daily Advisor article on how the Internet is changing salary negotiations showed just how powerful this amazing technology has become in HR. Gone is the day when companies […]