Archives

Another Ruling in the Business Tryst Injury Case

Earlier this year, we reported on a business trip tryst that ended up in court. If you missed it, here’s what happened. An Australia public servant (we’ll call her “Susan”) worked in the human relations section of a government agency. On a business trip, Susan had a rendezvous with a male friend in her motel […]

Hair Do = Don’t When Employee Violates Socmed Policy

A television meteorologist who took to social media to defend a comment on her hairstyle ended up trying to defend herself from termination for violation of the station’s social media policy. Or was it just “guidance”? According to media reports, the weatherperson for KTBX in Shreveport, Louisiana, who is a black woman, responded, albeit in […]

New IRS Rule Consolidates and Clarifies Guidance on Employer Play-or-pay Mandate

Employers trying to comply with health reform’s play-or-play mandate — and calculate their exposure to penalties — now have more insight based upon a new notice of proposed rulemaking and a new set of questions and answers from the IRS. Under reform, employers have to calculate full-time equivalent employees for one or more of the […]

Train Employees to Turn Customer Complaints Into Opportunities

It’s estimated that a sincere, concerned, and skillful response to a problem can retain the business of about 95 percent of customers who complain. Below are some important points to convey to your employees: Most customers who complain are reasonable. They just want you to take their complaints seriously. They want you to demonstrate concern […]

2013: Are You an Eeyore or a Tigger? (Attitude Counts)

Oswald, CEO of BLR, offered his thoughts on attitude (and Eeyore and Tigger) in a recent edition of The Oswald Letter. The chorus of Tritt’s song, which he recorded more than a decade ago, goes like this: And it’s a great day to be alive I know the sun’s still shinin’ when I close my […]

Make Leadership Training a Priority

Let’s continue our presentation of valuable leadership training information from BLR‘s PowerPoint™ session “Leadership Skills—What New Supervisors And Managers Need To Know.” Six Degrees of Delegation Give managers and supervisors these six steps in the delegation process: Determine the task. Define the task. Select the right person for the job. Explain the task. Provide support […]

Counter Offer Concerns—For Both Employee vs. Employer

The Employer’s Concerns There are a number of concerns that management has when contemplating counteroffers: The offer as a precedent. What will be the effect on corporate compensation and benefits and perks programs. Will the counteroffer throw all those programs into disarray? Lack of privacy—transparency. Privacy is generally not an option—the work will get out. […]

Some HR resolutions for the new year

by Joseph Godwin Happy New Year! I hope the holiday season was a joy-filled one with plenty of time to spend with family and friends ― the most important people in our lives. Now it’s January and time for making ― and implementing ― those dreaded annual “resolutions.” The economy, while slowly improving, remains weak […]

How Much Should You Be Spending on Litigation? Survey Says …

Yesterday’s Advisor presented results of Fulbright & Jaworski LLP’s 8th Annual Litigation Trends Survey relating types of litigation and the reasons for it; today, the survey’s results on litigation spend, plus an introduction to the lawsuit preventer—Wage & Hour Compliance: Practical Solutions for HR. The trend of increased litigation expenditure has resumed. Last year marked […]

The Truck Loaders’ Tale–Metrics and Management

To tame turnover, says consultant Karl Ahlrichs, SPHR. Focus on the employees you really want to keep. You’ll have a much better shot at improving the bottom line. We’ve shared Ahlrichs’ truck loader story before but it’s worth repeating as it clearly illustrates what can happen when different parts of the team are using different […]