Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
In critical HR discussions with employees, some of your managers will do best working from a script. When it comes to HR-related actions, do your line managers suffer from “wingtip in mouth disease?” You know the symptoms: They over-promise or ask inappropriate or even illegal questions during job interviews. Their performance appraisal meetings with employees […]
A new Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling underscores that you are obligated to be truthful when you negotiate a union contract and should be prepared to substantiate the positions you take. We’ll explain how one employer got it wrong.
We’ve got issues regarding nonexempt travel pay. Many of our nonexempts travel, typically leaving their homes on Sunday afternoon for an all-day Monday meeting, and then returning home late Monday night. In addition to reimbursing their travel expenses, what pay do we owe them for the travel on Sunday afternoon and Monday night? Is it […]
Placing one job ad can result in a torrent of resumes. Here’s how to cut through the pile quickly and have more time for qualified candidates. Every HR manager knows this situation: You put a job ad in the newspaper or on the Web. Within days, or even hours, your inboxes (electronic and plastic) are […]
The 5th anniversary of that tragic September morning reiterates how important it is to plan for emergencies. Here are some of the basics. With the 5th anniversary of 9/11 approaching, there’s again discussion about whether anything could have lessened the extreme loss of life on that terrible day. Although the terrorists are ultimately to blame, […]
In the past, employers have paid for time off during weather disasters. After last year’s huge losses, that may be changing. The important thing is to have a policy ahead of the storm. Wilma, Frances, and, of course, Katrina. Say those names a year or so ago and you might have been talking about someone’s […]
When an employee recently resigned from our company, giving two weeks’ notice, his manager told him to pack up and leave immediately and he wouldn’t be paid beyond that day. Effectively, he fired the employee as of that day. This didn’t sit right with me, but is it illegal?
When employees take time off of work for doctor’s appointments, we expect them to make up the time. If they don’t, we deduct from their paychecks for the hours they are gone. Some exempt employees have complained about this practice. I thought if they take personal time, we could deduct. Are our deductions legal? What […]
We’re concerned about our supervisors’ and managers’ casual use of e-mail. They are saying things about employees that might come back to haunt us. When we talk to them, they say it all gets erased after a month anyway. What should we do?
We recently had a new employee—on his second day of work—steal one of our company checks, use the signature stamp, and attempt to cash it for $7,000.00. The clerk at the check-cashing store suspected something and called us. We contacted the police and filed a report requesting the employee’s arrest. Our question is, do we […]