Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
by Mark Wiletsky Although we’re beginning to see signs of an economic recovery, many organizations are still grappling with how to stay competitive in this challenging environment. Layoffs, furloughs, and other methods used to cut personnel costs are often part of the equation. But the savings gained by those cost-cutting measures can be lost if […]
Employers are still trying to understand how the U.S. Senate’s Christmas present to the nation — a 2,074 page health care reform bill topped with a 383-page manager’s amendment — will affect them and their employees. (During a highly unusual Christmas Eve session, the Senate passed the bill in a 60-39 party-line vote.) Before the […]
“Flexible work arrangements provide enhanced employee performance while offering an inexpensive and effective way to motivate and retain top talent,” says Rose Cook, president of FlexPro Staffing in Eagleville, Pennsylvania. What Is Meant by ‘Flexible Work’? Simply put, flexible work arrangements are alternate arrangements or schedules that differ from the traditional workday and workweek. Flexible […]
By Hadiya Roderique Last year we reported on a case where a Canadian employer was ordered to reinstate an employee who had tested positive for marijuana following a verbal altercation with his employer. Why? Because drug addiction is considered a disability in Canada. And individuals who suffer from addiction are protected from discrimination under human […]
Companies that are characterized by a diverse, respectful, and dignified workplace invariably enjoy the benefits of improved employee morale, higher productivity, larger market share, and a strong bottom line. And that’s good news, because your organization IS going to be characterized by diversity–demographics alone guarantee it. But as we saw in yesterday’s Advisor, addressing diversity […]
Last week, President Barack Obama signed legislation into law that extends the original federal COBRA subsidy created by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). The legislation extends: the total allowable time an individual could receive the COBRA subsidy by six months (from nine to 15 months); and the subsidy to individuals who […]
Every year at this time, it’s tradition to make a few resolutions for the new year. And most resolutions are very personal. Many people really want to lose a few pounds, so more exercise and a better diet will be on their list for 2010. Or it may be the desire to be a better […]
Most organizations these days believe that "diversity" produces better results. But things get tricky when it comes to diversity training. It’s easy to do significant legal damage, especially with "let-it-all-hang-out" sessions . One of the favorite moves of diversity training facilitators is to ask employees to drop all pretenses, and just go ahead and express […]
The new world of social networking and electronic communications opens all sorts of questions about etiquette, behavior, and life style. In "Available All the Time: Etiquette for the Social Networking Age," Wharton Professor Nancy Rothbard calls it a "double-edged sword." For example, she says, a Blackberry® can allow parents to attend their children’s soccer games […]
Social Media—The bane of management or the next best marketing tool? Should you control it or encourage it? Of course, the answers depend on your business and your culture, but here’s a sample policy to get you going. This policy is one of several sample social media policies we found at HR.BLR.com®. This policy is […]