Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
by Al Vreeland In these pages, we try―often ham-handedly―to infuse a little humor into the very real workplace dilemmas you face on a daily basis. When we first conceived this article, obvious redneck gun jokes were, well, obvious. But the recent massacre in Newtown, Connecticut, has left us humorless, while recent events in several state […]
By Alix Herber While many employees are allowed to access and use the Internet and e-mail on company computers for “limited” personal use, it’s not uncommon for them to misuse this privilege. In Poliquin v. Devon Canada Corporation, the Alberta Court of Appeal was asked whether an employee could be fired for cause because he […]
Some leaders who were adept at running in-office meetings pre-COVID have found holding effective videoconferences in the remote working world to be a whole different animal. There are new fundamentals to master. Communication approaches that worked in a formal physical setting, like a nicely appointed room with an oak table and a dry-erase board, haven’t […]
Many experts agree that transparency is important to a company and its culture.
An employee has submitted a claim for permanent disability under workers’ compensation. Assuming it is awarded, what do we do next? Do we terminate him? If so, at what point? How long do we have to keep him on our group health insurance? What about other issues like bonuses? —Sybil, HR Specialist in Ventura 400+ […]
By BLR Founder and Publisher Bob Brady As Bob Brady (and many of you) will be taking some time off next week, here are his thoughts as one year ends and a new one begins. Bob’s next new column will appear in January. Happy holidays from Bob and all at BLR! I’ve been writing this […]
In the 1950s, life may have been simpler—but dental care certainly wasn’t. Some people saw it as a luxury that they couldn’t afford. Most people suffered from tooth decay, and dentures became common. Then employers started to offer a new benefit, the dental insurance plan, to help employees take care of their teeth. Five decades […]
The 3rd Circuit—which covers Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania—recently ruled that an employer’s honest belief that an employee misused Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) leave can defeat an FMLA retaliation claim, even if the employer’s belief is mistaken. The court also ruled that under certain circumstances, an employee’s request for FMLA leave may constitute […]
Can you please advise me on the regulations for providing summary plan descriptions (SPDs) for our employees? Since we don’t have SPDs yet, should there be an urgency in getting them produced for distribution this year or can this be a project for 2016?
A jury in Alameda County has awarded $61 million to two former FedEx Ground drivers who charged they were harassed by a manager for over two years. The drivers, Edgar Rizkallah and Kamil Issa—both of Lebanese descent—claimed that manager Stacy Shoun at the company’s Oakland terminal subjected them to a barrage of racial slurs, including […]