Archives

Only Employee Without Criminal Record Is a Real Dog

This Strange but True story is about a small, rural town where the two law enforcement officers don’t carry guns. No, it’s not the plot of The Andy Griffith Show. And the cops can’t carry guns. It’s really an HR case study on background checks, and the only employee without a record is a dog—literally! […]

The 3 Flavors of Flex

Fellows, founder and president of WorkLife Performance, Inc. divides flex/telecommuting into three “flavors.” She offered her tips at a recent webinar sponsored by BLR and HR Hero. Flavor #1—Flexible Hours This is the opportunity to begin and end each workday at an approved time outside the standard (or “core”) working hours while still completing the […]

Political Comments Can Land Employers in Hot Water

With less than a month to go before the 2012 election, political passions are peaking. In a close race, some employers may be tempted to try to influence how their employees vote. It’s not a rare occurrence. Four years ago, a Maryland construction executive happened to mention during the course of an interview with me […]

3 elements of an effective employment handbook

Employment handbooks should protect employers. “An employee handbook provides communication; it helps you to comply with the law; [and] it provides consistency – it allows you to treat all employees in a consistent manner.” Andrea Paris explained in a recent CER webinar: These are the 3 C’s of an effective employment handbook: communication, compliance, and […]

What the FMLA Requires for Pregnant Employees

Yesterday’s Advisor covered the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA); today, what the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) requires for pregnant employees plus an introduction to the guide many call the “FMLA Bible.” The PDA applies regardless of how long an employee has worked for you. The FMLA, however, has more eligibility requirements but also more […]

How Do I Know They’re Not Doing the Laundry?

One of the advantages to telecommuting that many organizations are finding is that it forces managers to manage by results rather than by presence, says Fellows, founder and president of WorkLife Performance, Inc. Fellows offered her flex/telecommuting tips at a recent webinar sponsored by BLR and HR Hero. Flex Program Evolution Flex started in early […]

‘Lean’ Into More Effective Training

Just as “Lean” has helped cut waste in manufacturing and other industries, it can help training departments reduce waste and make training more effective, says Todd Hudson. In today’s Advisor, Hudson shows how to apply “Lean” principles to your training program. The basic concept of Lean in the corporate learning context is that “people should […]

Infographic Spotlights Employer Vacation and Sick Time Policies

BLR 2012 Paid Time Off Survey Reveals Employer Practices A new infographic puts the spotlight on employer policies and practices regarding employee vacation time and sick time. The infographic highlights findings from BLR’s 2012 Paid Time Off Survey, conducted among over 800 employers, including how many weeks of vacation exempt and nonexempt employees receive after […]

Performing an EPA checkup

by Sophie E. Zdatny Equal pay for equal work may seem like a no-brainer, but the gender pay gap is still with us almost 50 years after the passage of the Equal Pay Act (EPA) in 1963. Nationally, women earn 77 cents for every dollar earned by men. The Vermont Attorney General’s Office (AG) and […]

What to Expect When Your Employee Is Expecting? Pregnancy Discrimination

Pregnancy discrimination charges and lawsuits continue to rise, and no surprise—Many managers still hold out-moded ideas of how to treat pregnant employees, and that’s a recipe for your organization’s next lawsuit. “All pregnant employees should stop work 30 days before their due dates.” “Pregnant women should stay out 6 weeks after the birth.” “I’m not […]