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NLRB Now After Confidentiality, Workplace Access, Employment At Will

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 […]

Mentoring Agreements Make Meaningful Training

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 […]

SEC Grants Relief to 403(b) Plan Auto-enroll Arrangements

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 […]

Employer Can’t Pin COBRA Compliance on Insurer, Court Points Out

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 […]

Use HR Metrics to improve new hire performance

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 […]

The Downside of Sign-Up Bonuses

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 […]

Comp Thinking That Pleases the CFO and the CEO

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, […]

Fingerprint Checks and Reference Checks in California

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.

What’s Working in Recruiting 2012? Let’s Find Out!

It’s a new world of recruiting in 2012, and every employer needs to stay ahead of the curve. Who’s doing what in the real world of recruiting? Let’s find out. You need to know: Which recruiting sources are working best in 2012? What recruiting methods are most popular? Is social media really the best way […]

5 Bottom-Line Compensation Cost-Savers

Special from Atlanta—SHRM Annual Conference and Exhibition In yesterday’s Advisor, Payscale, Inc.’s Stacey Carroll, M.B.A., CCP, SPHR. offered key charts for evaluating compensation levels. Today, one more chart and Carroll’s cost-saving suggestions, plus an introduction to the checklist-based audit system that helps you find problems before the feds do. Here’s a chart that will help […]