Month: October 2010

Note to Supervisor: Consult HR before Approving FMLA Leave

We all know that an employee need not specifically state that she requires a leave of absence under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). What we don’t know is how much (or how little) an employee has to say in a particular situation to put the employer on notice that she is seeking FMLA […]

Can an Employer Attempt to Influence an Employee’s Vote?

Yesterday’s Advisor Advisor covered many key issues relating to political discussion and debate in the workplace; today, more on employer policies, and good news on your policies—they’re updated and ready to go. Time Off to Vote There is no federal law that requires employers to give employees paid time off to vote, but some states […]

OSHA’s Enforcement Push: 27 Separate Cases with $100,000-plus Fines

By Jim Stanley, President, FDRsafety Big fines make big news as was evident when OSHA recently proposed $16.6 million in penalties in a deadly explosion at a Kleen Energy Systems construction site in Connecticut. But day-in, day-out announcements of OSHA fines may be just as significant because they illustrate the depth of the agency’s enforcement […]

Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose

Sarah Hulsey, PHR, reviews Zappos.com CEO Tony Hsieh’s book Delivering Happiness and finds it uplifting and motivating but not necessarily belonging in the business section of the bookstore. You’d have to be living in a cave to not have heard about Zappos and the work CEO Tony Hsieh is doing to improve customer and employee […]

Heated Political ‘Debates’—Can You Control them at Work?

It’s that time again; employers and their employees are getting ready to vote. It is an exciting time that engenders a good deal of discussion—and probably some arguments—at coffee machines and in lunchrooms. As with many areas of employment law, a patchwork quilt of federal and state laws governs the employer interface with political issues. […]

Blowing Holes in Collective Agreements

by Emilie Paquin-Holmested and Dominique Monet The Supreme Court of Canada, in Québec (Procureur général) c. Syndicat de la fonction publique, recently struck down a clause in a collective agreement. The clause in question prevented certain employees from challenging discipline through grievance arbitration. The Court declared the clause void because it contravened a statutory minimum […]

Is It HR’s Job to Encourage Employee Complaints?

Yes, HR does want to encourage employee complaints. If you don’t, the complaints will go to the agencies and the lawyers, and then you’ve moved into a different ball game that’s being controlled by someone else. When the complaints come to you first, you can take action. Yesterday’s Advisor covered the watchdog role as part […]

Hot List: Bestselling “Organizational Behavior” Books on Amazon.com

Amazon.com updates its list of the bestselling books every hour. Here is a snapshot of what is hot right now, this Monday morning, October 4, in the “Organizational Behavior” section of the “Business and Investing” category. 1.Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard by Chip Heath and Dan Heath. The authors of Made […]

Is Corporate Watchdog in the HR Job Description?

Is Corporate Watchdog part of your job description? On paper, probably not. But in practice, probably yes. Who else is going to do it? Marketing? IT? Finance? Puh—leese. Fortunately, there are things you can do to make that part of your job easier. Get Out and About You won’t pick up much information sitting in […]

Decisionmaking 101

Have you ever considered that more of your difficulties at work come from decisions that are NOT made than those that are? How often do you wait for a decision to come from “on high” only to discover that by the time it does the opportunity has passed you by? My guess is that if […]