Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
By BLR Founder and CEO Bob Brady Instead of designating employee paid time off as vacation days, sick leave, and such, many employers have started to lump it together and simply call it paid time off, or PTO for short. But there are pros and cons. The advantages of undesignated paid time off for employers […]
Pregnant employees typically present a host of Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) issues, and then, for many employers, there’s the very tricky balancing act of fetal protection—what to do when the mother wants to work in a job that might endanger the unborn child. FMLA Protection for Pregnant Employees Under FMLA, incapacity because of […]
The U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) just released updated COBRA Model Notices that reflect the COBRA subsidy extension that was part of the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2010. The new COBRA subsidy legislation extends the original federal COBRA subsidy created by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 […]
Two years ago, your company offered Bob a job, and he turned you down in favor of a newer, flashier start-up.
When employees become pregnant, everyone wants to be understanding and protective, but it’s easy for “protective” and “caring” to turn into “discrimination” in court. The general rule is, a woman affected by pregnancy must be treated the same as other applicants and employees on the basis of their ability or inability to work. Employees with […]
By Alix Herber Canada’s two largest provinces — Ontario and Quebec — now have laws requiring employers to seek to provide workplaces free of “harassment.” No longer limited to human rights-related harassment, the term is broadly defined in these laws. Further, Ontario’s new law extends beyond harassment. It, like the federal law, also will require […]
Job descriptions may seem mundane, but when they show up in court, they can kill your case if they’re not accurate. About.com‘s Susan M. Heathfield shares three key warnings for employers. 1. Job descriptions sometimes become outdated as soon as you write them. In this fast-paced, changing, customer-driven environment, it’s a challenge to keep job […]
According to the New York Times, President Barack Obama has reportedly decided to renominate Craig Becker to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Last summer, the President nominated Becker, Mark Pearce, and Brian Hayes to the U.S. Senate to be members of the NLRB. In December, Becker’s nomination was returned to the White House for […]
Here are the Amazon’s “Editors’ Picks” of the best business and investing books of 2009. 1. The Myth of the Rational Market: A History of Risk, Reward, and Delusion on Wall Street by Justin Fox. Time magazine’s editor-at-large leads readers on a chronological journey of modern economic theory, featuring the cast of scholars who constructed […]
HR managers developing job descriptions often face a tough question: What is the best way to list special job qualifications—such as mental, physical, or environmental job requirements—without running afoul of the law? Some job description writers are reluctant to list such requirements for fear that doing so might discriminate against an individual with a disability […]