Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
Customer service reps have a difficult and mostly thankless job. Every year, though, we recognize their important work during Customer Service Week (this year it was October 5-9). We thought it might be interesting to ask BLR’s customer service reps about some of their most unusual calls or experiences. We weren’t disappointed. To begin with, […]
By Todd Thomas Just My E-pinion In this era of tight finances, Todd Thomas suggests that a little creativity will allow you to maintain corporate charitable contributions and management training retreats on a zero-dollar budget. (You might have to buy lunch.) Most organizations are finding they have to cut back on “non-essentials” like charitable giving […]
By BLR Founder and CEO Bob Brady It’s with (slightly) mixed emotions that I announce that Business & Legal Reports, the company I founded 32 years ago, has changed its name to Business & Legal Resources and launched a new corporate website at www.BLR.com. You may be wondering—why the change? The switch from “Reports” to […]
Just My E-pinionBy Nicole Capehart, HR Manager, American Realcorp Use short-term rewards to reap long-term benefits, says HR manager Nicole Capehart. She has achieved a 48% drop in absenteeism for essentially the cost of a few dozen donuts. Fresh out of college with my new degree in hand, I took my first HR job, ready […]
By Clark PhinneyJust My E-pinion “Just meeting the regulatory requirements is like asking your kids to only get a ‘D’ in school,” says compliance expert Clark Phinney. It’s a simple observation he heard a few years ago that seems to say it all about attitudes toward compliance. “…like asking your kids to get a D.” […]
By BLR Founder and CEO Bob Brady You’ve been diligently following the sweeping—and confusing—changes to the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). You’ve even instituted changes to your policies to make sure you’re in compliance. It could be the worst mistake you’ve made all year, says Attorney […]
Thinking about “friending” your boss on Facebook®? You may want to reconsider. According to a recent survey, nearly half of executives are uncomfortable being friended by employees they manage (48 percent) or their bosses (47 percent ). Social networking is invading the office. The issue used to be, “Which friends will I ‘friend?’” But what […]
By BLR Founder and CEO Bob Brady Readers Don’t Agree About New Haven Firefighters Tests? Two weeks ago we ran my column about the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in the New Haven firefighters’ case. (The justices overruled lower court decisions, holding that the city was wrong when it refused to use the results of a […]
By BLR Founder and CEO Bob Brady During the recent recession, many employees saw their jobs change and grow. There may be fewer bodies, but the work still has to get done. In a lot of cases this, means that job descriptions are out of date and inaccurate. They may be fodder for significant lawsuits […]
By BLR Founder and CEO Bob Brady Several years ago, the HR department of the city of New Haven, Connecticut, was presented with a very difficult choice: It could accept the results of a recent promotion exam and risk the ire of the majority of city residents, or ignore them and risk a lawsuit by […]