Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
Plan sponsors who watched their retirement investments get buffeted by recent recessionary storms have had few ERISA remedies against broker dealers who led them to poor-performing funds. The sole recourse under ERISA for plan members was to sue the plan sponsor who relied on the advice, rather than against the professional financial expert who gave […]
The following is a list of the bestselling hardcover business books as ranked by the Wall Street Journal with data from Nielsen BookScan. 1. StrengthsFinder 2.0: A New and Upgraded Edition of the Online Test from Gallup’s Now, Discover Your Strengths by Tom Rath. Are you unsure where your true talents lie? Do you feel […]
by Nicola Sutton The recent decision of Limited v. Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada, Local 30 by the New Brunswick Court of Appeal has upheld random alcohol testing where the workplace is determined to be “inherently dangerous” and the method of testing is minimally intrusive. This is an important case for employers seeking […]
“Not my job,” “No one told me,” and other accountability excuses cause more damage than you might imagine, says consultant Rick Lepsinger. In today’s Advisor, his tips for avoiding these “tickets to slide.” No one told me the project was due Friday!” “But Bob’s the team leader—it’s his job to see everyone knows when priorities […]
It’s not about shoes, says Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh, it’s about stories. (See yesterday’s issue for a great Zappos’ customer service story.) It’s about creating more memories, says Hsieh. Hsieh uses the Las Vegas example of Cirque du Soleil. They totally redefined circus with their extraordinary sets and movements, but they didn’t get there by […]
Yesterday, we noted that because of anti-discrimination and credit reporting laws, when it comes to using social media to gain intel on prospective employees, HR professionals cannot just act like kids in the candy store. Why, they can’t even act like kids in the candy aisle at the grocery, because there are even more legal […]
Recently, an employee argued in an association discrimination claim that he was fired because his employer feared he would be distracted at work by his wife’s disability. That excuse didn’t pan out, because in fact the employer was just fed up with the individual’s poor performance, making it a legitimate employment termination. So in a […]
I feel like I’m trapped in sitcom purgatory, stuck between The Office episodes of yesteryear and the glorious Scranton Promised Land where James Spader reigns supreme as the new branch manager. If you are like me, and find the combination of August heat and reruns to be oppressive at times, I have the following suggestions. […]
People want to know what’s going on where they work. They want to know what the organization is trying to accomplish — the mission thing. They want to know how the business is going to get there — the vision thing. And, most of all, they want to know how the company is doing at […]
Performance appraisals can help strengthen your case if you’re sued by an employee. Providing an inadequate evaluation, or no evaluation at all, can be used against you with devastating results. Juries tend to come down hard on employers who don’t appear to have given an employee a chance to improve.