Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
There are dozens of details to take care of in the day-to-day operation of your department and your company. We give you case studies, news updates, best practices and training tips that keep your organization fully in compliance with ever-changing employment law, and you fully aware of emerging HR trends.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit has rejected a lawsuit charging that IBM’s conversion to a cash-balance pension plan violated age discrimination prohibitions in the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA).
On August 17, 2006, President Bush signed the sweeping Pension Protection Act of 2006 (H.R. 4) into law. The bill, which is the most comprehensive overhaul of pension laws in 30 years, will: require employers to fully fund pensions, with time limits for funding shortfalls; encourage more employers to use automatic enrollment in 401(k) plans; […]
On Monday, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and California legislators agreed to elevate the state’s minimum wage to $8.00 per hour from the current $6.75 per hour. The increase will take effect in two stages: minimum wage earners will get a 75 cent/hour boost on Jan. 1, 2007, to $7.50, and then another 50 cent/hour raise on […]
As you prepare to conduct job interviews, it’s critical to focus on factors related specifically to the job. This will help you find the right candidate for the position and avoid discrimination charges from candidates you don’t select.
A dose of positive leadership, honesty, and recognition can cure workplace negativity and turn it into “Yes, we can!” As Thomas Edison developed the light bulb, he went through hundreds of designs that didn’t work. At one point a reporter asked him, “Mr. Edison, aren’t you tired of failing?” “Failing?” Edison roared back. “Why I’ve […]
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: […]
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 […]
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which covers California, has ruled that an employee who was accused of receiving child pornography had no reasonable expectation of privacy in his use of a workplace computer.
The U.S. Senate and House of Representatives have approved the Pension Protection Act of 2006. President Bush is expected to sign the measure, which is the most comprehensive overhaul of pension laws in 30 years.
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 […]