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Will BlackBerries Give HR a Black Eye?

By BLR Founder and Publisher Bob Brady Our CEO (and Chief BlackBerry User) wonders whether the time nonexempt workers spend checking in with BlackBerry-type devices might eventually be considered legally compensable under FLSA. Wherever you go, from the canyons of Wall Street to the canyons of our national parks, you can depend on one thing: […]

Unlock Training Potential with These ‘Four Keys to Learning’

Four well-tested educational strategies can help you train quickly and effectively on almost any topic. Your boss calls you in and tells you “There’s a lot of news lately about age discrimination in business. I don’t want us caught up in it. Can you do some training for our managers on the basics of discrimination?” […]

Wage and Hour: BMW to Pay for Donning and Doffing Time

Luxury automaker BMW has agreed to pay $629,000 in overtime back wages to workers at the company’s plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina, to settle a U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) lawsuit alleging the company violated federal wage and hour law. The settlement, which will be shared by 1,224 workers, covers the period from April 2003 […]

7 Essentials for Training

A training expert supplies pointers to enhance your content by improving your delivery. OK, you’ve got great content for your training session, but how is your delivery? Bob Pike, a motivational speaker in the training industry, wants to know. And he also wants to tell you how to improve it. Pike made these points speaking […]

Job Descriptions: A Job Better Left to the Pros?

Writing job descriptions has become so time-consuming and legally complex some managers just ignore using them and deny themselves a valuable HR tool. A solid prewritten or sample program might be the answer. They’re often the unwanted stepchildren of the HR office. Stashed on a high shelf. Stored in a dusty binder. Written, filed, and […]

Job Descriptions: They Can Do More Than One Job!

By Scott Delman Use job descriptions to tell workers their specific activities … but also their part in improving the company’s reputation. Take an objective look at your job descriptions and hiring practices. Ask yourself if they are in line with obtaining workers who will bring you to that elusive “level of performance” you’ve often […]

Accommodations: Jury Award for Agoraphobic Worker Slashed by $4 Million

In May, we reported that a Sonoma County jury awarded $6.5 million to county MediCal caseworker George Alberigi, who claimed the county’s human services department refused to accommodate his agoraphobia (fear of going outside) and panic disorder when he applied for a promotion. The jury’s verdict included $1.5 million in economic damages and just under […]

Why that Great HR Idea Won’t Work in Your Company

By BLR Founder and Publisher Bob Brady Why great HR ideas don’t work. BLR founder Bob Brady explains why a good idea in one company “lays an egg” in another. HR policies and practices are not “one size fits all.” We’ve all tried ideas that work great for a colleague but laid a total egg […]