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Are Your Employees Trained on the Appropriate Use of the Internet?

The material in today’s Advisor is adapted from BLR’s 10-Minute HR Trainer session, “Appropriate Internet Use.” The Situation The Internet is an essential business tool for most organizations today. It not only provides instant access to vital information but it also offers instant communication anywhere in the world at any time of day. Access to […]

What Rights Do Part-Timers Have?

What Is Considered ‘Part-Time’ Employment? There is no state or federal employment law that defines the term “part-time” or specifies the number of hours an employee must work per week to be considered part-time as opposed to full-time. Many employers classify part-time employees as those who regularly work fewer than 30 hours per week.

What Supreme Court’s DOMA decision means for employers

by Maria Reed On June 26, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Section 3 of the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which had mandated that “in determining the meaning of any Act of Congress, or of any ruling, regulation, or interpretation of the various administrative bureaus and agencies of the United States, the word ‘marriage’ […]

$4.5M Settlement Ends Decade-long Disability Suit against USPS

The U.S. Postal Service will pay $4.5 million to settle claims that it failed to accommodate employees with hearing impairments. The court-approved agreement ends the decade-long class action dispute. The class action (Hubbard v. Donahoe, No. 03-1062 (RJL) (D.D.C. July 31, 2013)) stemmed from two related actions brought before the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. […]

Should You Build Talent or Buy It?

In yesterday’s Advisor, consultant Ron Katz tackled issues in talent management; today, his take on the build or buy decision, plus an introduction to the all-things-HR-in-one-place website, HR.BLR.com.

Train Employees to Avoid These 3 Leadership Mistakes

Leadership expert John Hamm, author of Unusually Excellent: The Necessary Nine Skills Required for the Practice of Great Leadership (Jossey-Bass/A Wiley Imprint, February 2011, www.unusuallyexcellent.com), has spent his career studying the practitioners of unusually excellent leadership via his work as a CEO, venture capitalist, board member, high-level consultant, and professor of leadership at the Leavey […]

How to Deal with Depression and Work Restrictions: Give the Doctor a Note

In requesting documentation to back up an accommodation request, employers should specify what types of information they are seeking regarding the disability, its functional limitations, and the need for reasonable accommodation. The employee can be asked to sign a limited release allowing the employer to submit a list of specific questions to the healthcare professional.

Common sense ain’t so common

by Dan Oswald Have you ever known someone who was incredibly intelligent but had absolutely no common sense? I’ve known a few. So the other day when a colleague was describing to me a book he came across that contained “cowboy logic” and the line, “I’ve learned that common sense ain’t so common,” it got […]

Q&A on California final pay laws

When dealing with California final pay laws, the details are where it gets tricky. For example, if an employee resigns with two weeks’ notice, normally you would have until the employee’s last day to provide the final paycheck—but what if you want to ask the employee to not work the notice period? When is the […]

Adviser Identifies Ways Plan Sponsors Can Manage Fiduciary Risk

Although defined benefit pension plan sponsors have engaged investment managers for years, it’s only recently that defined contribution plan sponsors have begun exploring this option to limit liability risk for their fiduciary role. “Because employers want to avoid litigation, which could result in personal liability for investment committee members, many plan sponsors are seeking ways […]