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Splitting Up Meal Breaks: A Bad Idea

Our subscribers often ask us if they can split up an employee’s meal break. For example, if an employee has a meeting or training session that interferes with the 30-minute lunch break, can you as an employer have the person take 15 minutes after five hours worked, and then take the other 15 minutes later […]

Effective Employment Reference Policies

Widespread among employers today is a “neutral reference” strategy in providing employment references for current or former employees. In fact, many attorneys have urged clients to adopt this policy to decrease exposure to liability. Of course, when you’re the one seeking a reference on a job applicant, this type of policy severely limits the information […]

Survey Says–Economic Slump Hits HR Departments

By BLR Founder and CEO Bob Brady A warm “Thank you” to the 2,800 HRDA readers who responded to our recent survey concerning the effect of the economic slump on your organizations and your departments! Here’s a summary of the results. Smaller Businesses Hit Hardest While the slumping economy is hurting businesses of all sizes, […]

Polishing Your HR Policies

Labor Day has come and gone. Our summer vacations are over, and it’s almost time for things like the NFL (your company isn’t sponsoring a betting pool, is it?) and the fall TV season, including The Office. In advance of the new season, now might be a good time to review your HR policies and […]

Interview Etiquette–Shud U B Concerned? R U at Fault?

In yesterday’s Advisor, we shared results from a recent Vault survey on recruiter and applicant etiquette. Today, questions about actions after the interview, and a look at a training system to help your supervisors with interviewing and other critical skills. Here are some additional responses to Vault’s 2008 Interview Etiquette Survey: Question for recruiters: How […]

The Age of Heretics: A History of Radical Thinkers Who Reinvented Corporate Management

Sarah McAdams reviews the book The Age of Heretics: A History of Radical Thinkers Who Reinvented Corporate Management by Art Kleiner. Review gives history of managers and HR that challenged the corporate norm. Arguably, the corporate world has never needed heretical thinking more than it does today. Read Art Kleiner’s The Age of Heretics: A […]

Thx for the Iview! I Wud Luv to Work 4 U!! ;)

“Thx for the Iview! I Wud [Luv] to Work 4 U!! ;)” read a recent Wall Street Journal headline. Does that sound like the thank-you letters you’re getting after an interview? What’s happened to interview etiquette? Today’s applicants, fresh from the Facebook, MySpace, and incessant texting world of Gen Y, are scoring few points with […]

Canadian employees fired for inappropriate blogging

by Karen Sargeant We have all read a lot about employers monitoring employees’ computer use and whether employees can be fired for inappropriate computer use at work. What about inappropriate computer use at home? Can employees in Canada be fired for that? Two recent decisions say yes. In both cases, one from Alberta and one […]

DO Check Google and MySpace / DON’T Check Google and MySpace

What do you do when the experts’ advice conflicts? Some experts say run Google searches on every candidate and don’t forget their MySpace and Facebook pages. Others say, stay away, you don’t want that information. So should you surf or not? It’s annoying when the experts don’t agree, but it doesn’t mean you’re paralyzed. Here […]