Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
To get a better handle on what’s new in succession planning, we turned to BLR’s newly-published Top 10 Best Practices in HR Management for 2012. We’re dealing with an aging workforce. For example, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that over one-third of the civilian employees working for the federal government are eligible for retirement. […]
by Chris Chrisbens Do you instruct or ask employee witnesses to keep the subject matter of a workplace investigation and your interview confidential when you conduct an investigation? Are there consequences for employees who breach confidentiality? For years, HR professionals regularly have given those instructions and been trained by experienced investigators and the Equal Employment […]
The hyperactive NLRB has fired salvos at employers on three new fronts—confidentiality, workplace access, and employment at will—and few employers will be left unscathed. The National Labor Relations Board’s (NLRB) recent rulings reflect a trend at the NLRB to find unfair labor practices in policies and procedures employers have long considered legitimate and proper. For […]
Successful mentoring relationships start with a clear agreement about goals, procedures, and limitations, says mentoring expert Lois Zachary. Too often mentors and mentees start off without doing enough preparation and end up with an unsatisfactory experience, she says. Zachary, author of The Mentor’s Guide and the recently published The Mentee’s Guide to Mentoring, provides guidelines […]
While the focus of late has been on complying with disclosure requirements from the U.S. Department of Labor, the Securities and Exchange Commission has its own set of disclosure criteria that 403(b) plans must follow. Specifically, 403(b) contracts that offer variable investment funds are subject to the jurisdiction of the Securities Act of 1933, the […]
Under COBRA’s small-employer exception, employers with fewer than 20 employees do not have to offer COBRA coverage upon what would otherwise be “qualifying events.” This determination is made based on how many employees were employed, on average, during the prior calendar year. When purchasing group coverage, it is important for employers to be mindful of […]
There are three primary areas where you can use HR metrics to analyze and improve your hiring process. One are is improving administrative efficiency (by reducing cost per hire, time to fill, etc.). Another is reducing waste and rework– high turnover means wasted time and money in recruiting and training (It’s better to get the […]
Sign-on bonuses often do make the difference between acceptance and rejection of an offer, says consultant Chuck Csizmar, CCP, but there are a few caveats. Csizmar, who is founder and principal of CMC Compensation Group, offered his tips at a recent BLR-sponsored webinar. Some Csizmar’s negatives to using bonuses: Using them may establish an unwanted […]
Rather than basing promotions and their associated salary increases on acquired knowledge and certifications, says Epps, who is managing partner of EP2S Compensation Solutions, LLC, base them on competencies. A competency-based job evaluation system is a method of structuring and evaluating broadly defined jobs based on a demonstrated level of job complexity and job accountability, […]
Yesterday, we got some insights on background checks from Jared Callahan, a licensed private investigator and the director of client services for Employment Screening Resources (ESR) in Novato. Today, his thoughts on two more common “checks”: fingerprint checks and reference checks.