Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
Catch up on the latest odd, offbeat, and humorous HR stories.
Yes, England’s Queen Elizabeth II was finally giving up some of her major duties, such as opening Parliament, to her son and CEO-in-waiting, Charles, the Prince of Wales. Charles has been keeping busy pursuing his “encore careers,” including advocating for the environment and traveling to visit U.K. countries.
A few weeks ago, we reported on a recent survey that collected real-life excuses employees used for being late. Employers beware of employees indulging in Thanksgiving leftovers; one worker blamed his tardiness on the turkey. (He was sleepy after eating it!) We asked our readers to share the strangest excuses they’ve heard for being late […]
What do you think workers are most thankful for this holiday season? Having friendly colleagues beat out supportive managers, according to a recent survey. The OfficeTeam survey asked respondents, “Aside from salary, what are you most thankful for at your current job?” Here are the top five responses: Friendly coworkers—24% Good benefits […]
This summer, I had the chance to visit the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, D.C. There were many highlights, from the elephants to the pandas, but one thing that stuck out to me (and especially my 3-year-old niece), was the Orangutan Transit System, also called the “O-line.” It can be roughly described as two cables, […]
You may think working at your company has you in a rat race, but at a Wisconsin company, employees are in a roach race—literally! And this company also holds bedbug training camps. Well, not to train the vermin. So you probably have guessed that the company is a pest management firm. NewsRadio 620/WTMJ reports that […]
Your emergency response workers may someday have some of their tasks done by replacements, and they won’t mind a bit. And you won’t mind because these workers won’t be on your payroll. Researchers at North Carolina State University have been studying the movements of cockroaches, especially how they “wall follow”—find a break in a surface […]
The owner of a Missoula, Montana, roofing business faced a large fine and a felony charge for employer misconduct for trying to sweep the truth past the Montana State Fund to keep from paying higher workers’ comp premiums. Despite having over 300 roofing permits and purchasing over $1 million in roofing supplies, the roofer classified […]
We’ve all heard about it happening. One way or another, someone sends a message that wasn’t supposed to go out. The thing about technology—text, e-mail, voice mail, and the like—once you send it, there’s no easy way to retrieve it. Sometimes it’s adding the wrong recipient, other times it’s including the wrong content. Take for […]
A majority of working Americans consider their current job “off-course,” according to a new poll. Depending on your company, this could be a sign of dangerous waters ahead. The poll, conducted by Monster.com, reveals that more than 56 percent of respondents consider their current job “not on course at all” with their career visions. For […]
In the past year, nearly one third (32 percent) of workers have called in sick when not actually ill, according to a recent CareerBuilder survey. Along the same lines, 30 percent of employees say they’ve gone to work despite actually being sick in order to save their sick days for when they’re feeling well.