Tag: 2014

Automation—Best of Breed Out, Integration In

Best of Breed Out Most companies started out their transition to HR automation by going “best of breed”; that is, finding the best time tracking system, the best payroll system, and so on, but now that’s not the way to go, says Lombardi. Now employers want integration of all these processes plus integration with business […]

Key Questions for Compensation Audits

What Is Written? Start with the written documents, says Kleinman. What written documents relate to compensation? Who has them? Who wrote what and when?  What do they say? For example: Plan documents Structures Policies Pay parameters Hiring/Bonus boundaries (approval levels, etc.) How’s Turnover? What turnover levels is the organization experiencing? Functional turnover is created “intentionally,” […]

Simple Rule for 2014: If You Write It, They Will Post It

Before you hit the Send key, ask how it might sound to a jury. Is it: Readable? That is, is it easy to understand, legible, and well organized? Professional? Wobst cites the example of a CEO who couldn’t write a sentence without a four-letter word in it. (That ultimately cost the employer $2 million.) Concise? […]

Retirement Benefits 2014—What’s Really Happening?

Please participate in our brief survey and see how what you are doing stacks up against what other successful companies are doing. We’ll get answers to these questions and more: What’s your company’s 401k match level? What changes are you making with pensions and 401(k) plans? What types of retirement/savings/investment plans do you offer? How […]

9 Most Common Mistakes on I-9 Forms

Tsai, who is Of Counsel at Holland & Hart LLP in the Salt Lake City office, delivered his practical tips at BLR’s Advanced Employment Issues Symposium held recently in Las Vegas. The 9 Most Common I-9 Mistakes Tsai says he most commonly encounters the following I-9 mistakes: The employee fails to sign and date the […]

Yes, It’s Possible to Do Meaningful Appraisals

No Surprises, Please One of the most cited problems with performance appraisals is the blow to morale and productivity in the time leading up to—and for months after—when the information is delivered. Why? Because employees don’t know what to expect and managers are reluctant to deliver bad news. But, to every extent possible, the contents […]

Should We Ditch the Dreaded Performance Appraisal?

  In today’s Advisor, BLR® Legal Editor Holly Jones, JD, outlines challenges of appraisal systems and offers tips for making them meaningful. Don’t worry, she says, skepticism about appraisals is not unusual. A Google search on performance appraisals will return numerous articles calling for the death of the performance review, a defunct management ritual that […]

Say it ain’t so, A-Rod?

Back in August 2013, I wrote about the Biogenesis scandal that resulted in the suspension of 13 major and minor league baseball players, including a 211-game suspension for Alex Rodriguez. Well, thanks to A-Rod, this story has become the gift that keeps on giving. On January 11, 2014, Arbitrator Frederic R. Horowitz issued his decision […]

Healthcare Benefits—What’s Really Happening in 2014?

Please participate in our brief survey and see how what you are doing stacks up against what other successful companies are doing. We’ll get answers to these questions and more: How do 2014 plans compare to 2013? How are businesses dealing with the ACA? What types of health insurance plans are being offered in 2014? […]

A Bad Hire Is the Only Thing You Did Wrong

In many of the situations he experiences, Schickman says, the employer only did one thing wrong—it hired the wrong person. All the policies were in place and were followed, all the appropriate training was done, but more care was needed in the hiring process. (Schickman was the keynoter at the Advanced Employment Issues Symposium, held […]