The Strike
Looks like the folks at Dunder Mifflin will still be teaching us valuable lessons — even when they don’t know it. Check back on Friday morning for some valuable tips on labor relations brought to us courtesy of the screen writers guild!
Archives
Woe Is I: A Grammarphobe’s Guide to Better English in Plain English
Resources for Humans Managing Editor Celeste Blackburn reviews the book Woe Is I: A Grammarphobe’s Guide to Better English in Plain English by Patricia T. O’Conner. Review highlights book’s tips for writing e-mails and avoiding cliches. The pen is mightier than the sword. We’ve all heard it, and since we are meeting on a blog […]
Employment Law Tip: Exempt Employees and Holiday Shutdowns
During the holiday season, many employers shut down their operations for a few days over Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year’s. If you’re thinking of closing up shop for the remaining holidays this year, first make sure you’re up on special pay rules for employees who qualify as exempt from overtime. Paying Overtime: 10 Key Exemption […]
Will DOL Do Your FLSA Audit for You?
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) is getting tough on wage and hour violations, and you don’t want them to be the ones doing your FLSA audit. Far better to find and fix problems—before DOL starts going over your books. It shouldn’t be hard to calculate pay and overtime, yet employers are losing big–dollar wage […]
Retaliation: Transit Agency Hit with $1.27 Million Verdict
An Alameda County jury has awarded $1.27 million to an African-American BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) train mechanic who claimed his superiors retaliated against him after he complained about harassment by a co-worker.
Taxes: New Law Requires Earned Income Tax Credit Notice to Employees
A new law that goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2008, requires employers to provide a new notice to employees, along with annual wage summaries (such as W-2 or 1099 forms). The measure, A.B. 650, requires all California employers to give all employees written notice of employees’ possible right to take an Earned Income Tax […]
HR and New Supervisors and Managers: Don’t Let Them “Learn by Doing”
The management landscape is littered with HR-related traps for unwary new supervisors or managers, and the stakes are too high to let them “learn by doing.” Here’s a tool to train them with minimal effort on your part and theirs. Last issue we talked about supervisors and managers who tried to be good supervisors, but […]
Hot List: Bestselling Business Books on Amazon.com
Amazon.com updates its list of bestselling business books hourly. Here is a snapshot of what books were hot this morning — Monday, November 26. 1. Personal History by Katharine Graham. This candid and insightful autobiography tells the story of Katharine Graham’s personal struggles as a daughter, wife and mother and her professional triumphs as she […]
Dress Codes–What Legal Points Should We Keep in Mind When Implementing an Employee Appearance Policy?
We’re in the process of rewriting our employee handbook, and we want to modify our employee appearance policy. What do we need to consider? We want our employees to look professional, but we don’t want to get caught in a lawsuit. —Ronald W., San Jose
For New Supervisors or Managers, "No Good Deed Goes Unpunished"
“No good deed goes unpunished.” Nowhere is that more true than when untrained supervisors and managers try to be good bosses. If you’ve got new or recently promoted supervisors or managers, see if any of these situations are familiar: “Do you think you might be depressed?” asks the concerned but untrained boss. “I didn’t,” says […]