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Oops, I Didn’t Mean to Attach That!

If you are, or ever have been, in charge of hiring employees, you have probably seen your fair share of résumé bloopers. We’ve heard a few stories from our readers about confusing cover letters to disastrous spelling mistakes. Usually, culprits keep the mistakes to themselves. However, one woman has broken the norm and received national […]

You Can’t Explain ADA Accommodations to Co-Workers

One of HR’s many ADA headaches is coworkers who think an employee who has been given an accommodation is unfairly getting special treatment, say attorneys Julie K. and Audra K. Hamilton. It’s always a difficult situation because you can’t discuss the disability or the accommodation. Because of the confidentiality requirements of the ADA, you may […]

Can You Tweet Yourself into a Job?

If job applicants could sell themselves in a few words, you would be impressed, no? Well, that’s what a few social media savvy jobseekers are attempting by posting their Twesumes. Using Twitter as a platform, jobseekers sum up why they should be hired in 140 characters or less. Some list skills and accomplishments, others note […]

Employer Match May Matter Less Than Threshold, Study Finds

By Jane Meacham Many employers match a percentage of employees’ contributions to their retirement funds. But what impact does that match have? A new academic study found that participation and contributions in U.S. employer-sponsored retirement plans increase when a matching contribution is offered but that the match’s impact on savings is less significant than other […]

Why are Job Descriptions so Important?

Do you have up-to-date job descriptions? Having these can be vital for your company. Accurate, up-to-date job descriptions not only help you to find the best candidates for vacant roles, but they also help you to evaluate current employees. In a BLR bootcamp titled “Comp 101 Bootcamp: How to Effectively Develop Competitive Pay Plans for […]

What Makes an Effective Leader?

In today’s Advisor, we’re going to look at what it means to be an effective leader. First, let’s define leadership—with the help of some historical figures. Leadership is: Guiding people to take appropriate initiative, General George Patton said, “Don’t tell people how to do things, tell them what to do and let them surprise you […]

Mötley Crűe drummer rocked by employment lawsuit

by Boyd Byers I have a confession. In the 1980s, I rocked out to heavy metal music ― bands like Def Leppard, Guns N’ Roses, Judas Priest, and the Scorpions. But above them all was Mötley Crűe. Other bands talked the talk, but the Crűe ― proclaimed the world’s most notorious rock band ― walked […]

Overlooked, Ignored, or Feared—Mental Disabilities

One overlooked, ignored, and/or feared area of the ADA is dealing with employees who suffer from mental disabilities, say attorneys Julie K.Athey and Audra K. Hamilton. Because many mental disabilities are hard to spot, hard to diagnose, and hard to handle, employers may either give too much attention (fear, stigma, termination) or too little, pretending […]

There’s No ‘I’ in ‘Team’ — FLSA ‘Executive Exemption’ Doesn’t Require Independence

Do employees who oversee different teams within a company that perform the same job, in the same location and at the same time as other teams, fall into the category of an “executive” under the Fair Labor Standards Act? Recently several employees argued that their responsibilities were so standardized that they did not fall under […]

Customer Service Training Step #1: Don't Put the Customer First?

If you were a general fielding an army, you’d know that no matter how good your tactics, success in battle eventually will ride on the quality and morale of your troops. Business is the same, and especially that aspect of business in which your organization is most likely to run into “hostile forces.” That’s customer […]