Tag: BLR

Train Workers to Prevent Falls This Spring

Craig Galecka is a fall protection specialist with LJB, Inc., a facilities and infrastructure design firm in Dayton, Ohio. Galecka is a professional engineer and certified safety professional. He designs conceptual and final fall-hazard solutions for public and private clients. Recent projects include an assessment of 40 Michigan government buildings for roof fall hazards and […]

DOL Gets a Slap or Two, but Litigation Threats Abound

The DOL has gotten a few “slapdowns” from the courts recently, but while that may make employers feel a little better, wage and hour problems are still a major threat. The agencies—and the attorneys—are looking at most employers, and, sooner or later, they’ll look at you. In her recent presentation at the Advanced Employment Issues […]

Are Your Workers Trained to Prevent Falls in Construction This Spring?

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) most cited violations list is never much of a surprise; reliably appearing in the top 10 are fall protection, scaffolding, and falls from ladders. Slips, trips, and falls constitute the majority of general industry accidents and cause 15 percent of all accidental deaths, according to OSHA. Falls consistently […]

Accommodating Chronic Conditions—Frustrating and Annoying, But You Have No Choice

What Is a Chronic Condition? What is a “Chronic Condition” for purposes of leaves, accommodations, and performance management? Eyres says that it is a disease or disorder: Of slow progression and long duration; That causes continuous or episodic periods of incapacity; Lasting at least one year but usually a lifetime; and That often involves episodic […]

Misclassification Is ‘Hot’—And Many (Maybe Most) Organizations Are in Violation

Misclassification is “very hot,” says Attorney Dinita James, and the DOL is doing “directed” investigations, that is, visiting places where there hasn’t been a complaint. The agency is also singling out certain industries in its search for companies violating rules governing misclassification of independent contractors. For example, says James, they are looking at electrical contractors. […]

Contingent Workforce—Who’s a ‘Temp’?

The temporary or contingent workforce is the fastest growing segment of the national workforce, with almost 75 percent of employers in all industries using them, according to a survey by CyberShift. It’s important to sort out the status of your relationship with each type of contingent worker before issues arise. For insights, we turned to […]

Is Your Training Learner-Centered—and Moving?

We asked Sharon L. Bowman, president of Bowperson Publishing & Training, Inc. (www.bowperson.com), how trainers can make training “learner-centered” and why it’s important to do so. Bowman asserts that learner-centered training is “training in which learners are actively involved every step of the way from the moment they walk into the classroom until the moment […]

Best Practices in Workforce Training and Development

From day one of employment, associates at Capital One Financial Corporation have access to a variety of award-winning training and development opportunities. Capital One (www.capitalone.com), a McLean, Virginia-based financial holding company, was recently named to FORTUNE magazine’s list of “100 Best Companies to Work For” and Training magazine’s Training Top 125. Both magazines honored Capital […]

Toobin’s Take on Hobby Lobby

Special from SHRM’s Employment Law and Legislative Conference Hobby Lobby is a large (3 billion plus) privately held organization with over 600 stores across the country. The company’s philosophy is imbued with the religious views of its founder David Green. For example, the number one operating principle listed on their website is “Honoring the Lord […]

Key Factors in Determining Salary Increases

Once you’ve got a salary increase matrix (see below), determining increases should be simple—but it’s not. Several approaches are commonly used for determining salary increases. Performance/merit systems are the most common. Across-the-board or general increases are often tied to increases in the cost-of-living index. For unionized employees, the collective bargaining agreement will include a negotiated […]