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Catch up on the latest odd, offbeat, and humorous HR stories.
Most Americans have to sit all day at work, and they despise it. A new survey commissioned by Ergotron, manufacturer of furniture and mobility products, found that employees hate sitting, yet 86 percent do it all day, every day. But what motivates them to stand up? Don’t tell Michelle! Some results of Ergotron’s second survey […]
A former U.S. Navy commander, who was recruited to work as a flight instructor in Saudi Arabia, said he was forced to sign an employment agreement after he arrived in that country. He also claims his passport was confiscated, he was assigned to poor living conditions, and he worked in an unsafe environment. Boeing International […]
It’s one of HRSBT’s favorite topics, so we couldn’t wait to tell you about the FIDO project, which will let managers communicate with their canine reports—electronically! According to media reports, the FIDO (Facilitating Interactions for Dogs with Occupations) project under way at Georgia Tech, with input from Google, would allow working dogs to communicate vital […]
Employers are adopting wellness programs to help workers maintain a healthy weight to prevent chronic diseases. The high cost of fuel is prompting an Indian airline to adopt a hiring requirement that looks at weight from another viewpoint. GoAir had decided that to save on fuel, it will only hire flight attendants who are female […]
As you know, your HRSBT editors love animal stories. So here is one that’s not about dogs, goats, or monkeys (our usual favorites), but about what OSHA calls “vermin.” Yes, in order to be compliant with federal law, workplaces must be constructed and maintained to prevent rodents, insects, and other vermin from entering. So we […]
It’s like going from spaceships back to the horse and buggy or smartphones back to the telegraph. Is the world actually on the brink of going back to saving documents as hard copies? The recent Wiki leaks, the Snowden disclosures, and reported snooping at the recent G6 have the Russian government examining ways to protect […]
More than two in five (43 percent) hiring managers who currently research candidates via social media said they have found information that has caused them not to hire a candidate, according to a recent CareerBuilder survey. This is up 9 percentage points from last year! There was also a slight rise in the number of […]
Earlier this summer, we wrote about a new anchor who was fired for swearing on the air. In his defense, it was the young anchor’s first day on the job, and he didn’t know his microphone was on. The blunder quickly spread on social media, and thanks to quick action on the part of the […]
Sporting events have been known to take a hit on companies. Some employers dread the Super Bowl, March Madness, and the World Cup. From gambling, to bandwidth issues, to increased absences, sporting events can be a serious disruption to businesses. The latest to learn this lesson—Chicago. According to CBS Chicago, the Blackhawks’ Stanley Cup victory […]
Bathrooms have been the setting of many Strange but True! tales. From applicants taking telephone interviews on the toilet, to ex-employees swiping tissue paper, bathrooms bring out some bizarre behavior. This week, we’re sharing a reader’s story about how HR had to clean up a messy issue. “We had a female employee that was urinating […]