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Hey Applicants—Orange Is Not the New Black

There has been a lot written about how job applicants’ attire can affect employers’ first impression of the candidate. For example, one study reported that 80 percent of hiring managers reported that shoes are “extremely important” to one’s interview appearance. Apart from shoes, there are a whole host of general no-no’s, like appearing messy or baring […]

Would You Take a Bullet for Your Boss?

A recent online survey of over 1,100 employees in the United Kingdom asked “Would you take a bullet for your boss?” Over 70 percent of respondents answered “No.” The survey was conducted for the website Bodyguard Services, and David Simmons, creator of the website, is not surprised that employees would not put themselves between a […]

New Hawaii law imposes new pay stub, record-keeping requirements

by Paul Saito A new law designed to help the state quickly determine whether employers are paying workers properly goes into effect January 1. Under the new law, Hawaii employers will be required to provide employees with additional information on all pay stubs and payroll records and maintain payroll records on company premises. During each […]

New Oregon law gives employees bereavement leave

by Calvin Keith Oregon will become the first state in the nation to require employers to provide bereavement leave when House Bill 2950 takes effect January 1. The new law allows for bereavement leave under the Oregon Family Leave Act (OFLA). The law applies to any employer with 25 or more employees in Oregon. Any […]

Do Your Employees Know How to Stay Safe in Cold Conditions?

The material in this issue is adapted from BLR®’s audio PowerPoint® presentation on “Working in Cold Conditions.” One effective way to begin training sessions is to impress upon trainees why this particular training topic is so serious. Here’s some information about the dangers of working in the cold to give your trainees: Hypothermia is a […]

Unwelcome encore: managing investigations to survive ensuing litigation

by Jeff Sloan The classic Yogi-ism―”It ain’t over ’til it’s over”―has special significance for employment investigations. An investigation can lead not only to discipline against a perpetrator but also to litigation by the victim―or even the perpetrator―against the investigator or the employer. In either of those unsavory situations, the investigator or HR manager may be […]

job description

Q&A on Job Descriptions, Essential Functions, and Reasonable Accommodation

If an employee with a disability is reassigned to a vacant position that better accommodates the disability, but this position does not pay as well as the one they started in, can the employee’s pay be reduced? Can having a high school diploma or GED be a job requirement? What happens if a disabled employee […]

5 Important Interview Questions You’re Not Asking

People come to an interview wanting to tell the interviewer what the interviewer wants to hear. Interviewers often feed right into this by structuring the interview in a way that gives the applicant information to repeat back—allowing them to look perhaps more qualified for the role than they truly are. This is one reason why […]

Assistants, Team Leaders, and Supervisors— Exempt or Not?

In yesterday’s Advisor,we learned exemption status of many specific jobs. Today, the tricky status of executive assistants, team leaders, and supervisors who perform nonexempt duties, plus we introduce the all-things-HR website, HR.BLR.com. Supervisors Who Perform Concurrent Duties Supervisors who perform both exempt and nonexempt work may still qualify as exempt employees under the law. For […]

IRS Standard Mileage Rates Drop a Half-cent

Employers whose employees use their own vehicles business can now adjust their reimbursement forms and procedures for 2014, since the IRS released the standard mileage rates for the year in Notice 2013-80 on Dec. 6. The IRS also adjusted the reimbursement rate for miles driven for medical purposes or a relocation, also by half a […]