Category: HR Hero Line

HR best practices, employment law tips, news and analysis, Q&As, and lessons learned from the courtroom.

pipeline

Exploring how top management can get the most out of HR

Nobody likes the idea of being exploited. Such a notion conjures up feelings of being abused and unfairly taken advantage of. But turn the notion around. What serious human resources professionals wouldn’t welcome working for an organization that fully “exploits” their talents and skills?  HR pros have long advocated taking a larger role as a […]

Don’t ignore these e-mails! EEOC ramps up digital charge system

by Jeanine Poole On May 6, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced in a single press release that 11 of its 53 offices will begin a pilot program called ACT Digital. This new online charge system will digitally transmit documents relating to discrimination charges between the EEOC and employers and will affect the processing […]

Which restroom should Caitlyn Jenner use?

by Kylie Crawford TenBrook Bruce Jenner, Olympic decathlon gold medalist and unfortunate/unwitting participant in Keeping Up with the Kardashians, recently transitioned from living as a man to living as a woman. For a fleeting moment, Caitlyn Jenner was even more famous than her stepdaughter, Kim Kardashian (and is, truthfully, giving her a run for her […]

Law or no law, paid sick leave generating buzz among employers

Love it or hate it, paid sick leave is an idea gaining momentum across the country. A handful of states and local governments have passed laws in the last five years guaranteeing the leave for a good many private-sector workers.  Connecticut blazed the trail by enacting a law in 2011 covering “service workers” that went […]

Stay legal when tackling exempt workers’ tardiness, poor attendance

Employees straggling in late or not coming in at all is often at the top of the list of employer frustrations. The problem can lead employers to devise creative solutions, such as requiring management employees to clock in and even docking their pay when they’re late. But a solution that’s legal is more important than […]

NLRB General Counsel issues guidance on lawful handbook policies

by Lisa Berg Nonunion employers often believe they don’t have to worry about decisions from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Well, think again! On March 15, 2015, NLRB General Counsel Richard F. Griffin issued a 30-page memo (Memorandum GC 15-04) that provides guidance on handbook policies the NLRB considers unlawful. The memo focuses on […]

Hey boss! Get ready, be smart, and do the right thing

by Phillip S. Oberrecht You have an important position to fill. You have narrowed the applicant pool to a manageable number. It’s time to conduct interviews, and you need the best person for the job. What can you do to conduct the best interview possible?  The company’s needs, résumés, and social media The first step […]

Activity trackers and wellness programs: high-tech help or privacy threat?

What if an employer interested in improving the health of its employees—and reducing its health insurance premiums—could slap a device on workers to show statistics on physical fitness? Not only could the people participating in an employer-sponsored wellness program track their own progress, the employer also could see just how hard participants in its program […]