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No one denies the world of work isn’t what it used to be. Employers and employees alike struggle to keep up with the dizzying pace of change shaking up an array of industries. With technological advances and changing economics creating opportunity for some while leaving others behind, “skills gap” has become a term recruiters understand […]
by JW Furman During my years with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), I saw several changes in presidential administrations and power shifts between the major parties in Congress. Following major political upheavals, changes in the priorities of those agencies and even in the day-to-day tasks of their […]
Employees and their supervisors need to know the rules, and handbooks need to communicate that information. But getting the most from a handbook means putting it to work in onboarding new employees, training managers and supervisors, defending employers when employees complain, and more. Charles S. Plumb and Courtney Bru, attorneys with McAfee & Taft in […]
by Lisa Berg Although it was enacted more than 20 years ago in 1993, the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) still presents numerous challenges for employers. Even the most adept and experienced HR professionals make mistakes when administering FMLA leave. In light of changes in the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) FMLA regulations […]
Many employers saw their ranks diminished on February 16 as a host of employees stayed away from work in support of the nationwide “A Day Without Immigrants” campaign. Employers are likely to see that situation repeated as more protests are scheduled for the coming months. A walkout to support “A Day Without a Woman” is […]
by Brad Federman British-Canadian author Elizabeth Thornton once said, “Objective leaders identify their unproductive mental models and tweak them for greater effectiveness.” The same can be said for employers and employees. Say some of your employees are working less than efficiently. You decide that the solution is to send them to a training session. When […]
It’s bad enough that flu can make people miserable and hamper an employer’s operations, and it may be even worse when employees decide to power through and come to work sick, thereby spreading the misery. But besides dealing with the illness, employers have legal and policy issues to consider, including whether they can require employees […]
A survey showing most U.S. office workers have negative feelings toward traditional performance reviews may not be earth-shattering news. It’s hardly a surprise to learn that large numbers of employees consider such reviews stressful, tiresome time-wasters with fallout often coming in the form of tears and resignations from disappointed workers. Despite widespread disapproval, traditional reviews […]
More than 16 years after issuing the original notice of proposed rulemaking in 1990, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has released a final rule revising its standards on slip, trip, and fall hazards and personal fall protection systems. Background OSHA is charged with enforcing the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSH […]
President Donald Trump’s executive order affecting foreign nationals and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries sparked an uproar from a number of major employers—particularly those in the tech sector—but it may be just the first signal of a new and uncertain atmosphere for companies wishing to employ foreign workers. Trump’s order, issued on January 27, prohibits […]