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From sports and entertainment to politics and social justice—when worlds collide in your workplace

It’s everywhere. Whether you like it or not, you can’t escape it. While the topics of politics and social justice are undoubtedly important discussions to have in our country, the reality is that they now seem ever present. Consider, for example, two popular entertainment outlets many individuals usually go to in order to “escape” from […]

Are Your Job Application Procedures Lawsuit-Resistant?

Job applications and interview notes should hold relevant information on the basis of hiring decisions and should document the valid reasons for selecting or rejecting applicants. Read on for more best practices. A best practice for job applications is to require a signed application from all candidates—and not just a submitted resume. This gives the […]

Survey Says: More than Half of Companies Now Offer PTO

By BLR Founder and CEO Bob Brady In our January 2010 Survey of Paid Time Off (PTO) Practices, 54% of respondents had a PTO plan rather than a traditional plan with individual policies for vacation, sick leave, and personal leave. By contrast, in BLR’s Survey of Employee Benefits in late 2007, only 43% used a […]

Mentorship: What’s Your Style?

Yesterday’s Advisor presented the benefits of mentorship along with some different methods commonly used by organizations. We continue today with more unique styles of mentorship that you can use at your company.

Sexual Orientation Claims: Gay Worker Charges He Was Forced To Quit; How To Keep Harassment Problems From Mushrooming

You may think an employee who hands in their resignation can’t hold you legally responsible for their decision to quit. But a worker who claims their working conditions were intolerable can try to turn a resignation into a lawsuit for “constructive discharge.” As a new ruling involving sexual orientation bias demonstrates, you can avoid being […]

Coach or terminate? Developing a strategy for ‘difficult’ employees

What supervisor or human resources professional hasn’t asked the question: Why can’t people work together without deliberately making the working environment insufferable? Why don’t people use their energy to solve differences instead of lashing out in anger? There may be no easy answers to those questions, but understanding why conflict occurs and following a strategy […]

Using Twitter for Recruiting: Worth the Effort?

Many employers regularly use social media as part of the hiring process. Some use LinkedIn to post jobs. Some use Facebook as part of their screening process. Fewer, however, see Twitter as a viable resource in recruiting. Why is that? Can Twitter be used as an efficient and beneficial part of the recruitment process? Let’s […]

How to Implement a Workplace Breastfeeding Policy

The letter of the law may only require employers to extend breaks and access to a lactation room to eligible employees on an as needed basis, but many companies are taking a proactive approach and looking to implement policies that will boost employee retention. According to Eileen Shue, vice president of corporate resources for the […]

Train Workers on the Type of Violence They May Encounter in Your Workplace

According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, workplace violence typically falls into one of four categories. Customize the following information to the type or types for which your workplace is most at risk. Type I: Criminal intent In this kind of violent incident, the perpetrator has no legitimate relationship to the business […]