Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
By BLR Founder and CEO Bob Brady Are there so many boomers that the healthcare system will collapse? Our CEO—and chief boomer—shares his thoughts on this potentially crippling challenge. In December 2007, the EEOC issued regulations allowing employers to offer lower health insurance benefits to retirees age 65 who are eligible for Medicare. This was […]
We have several employees who punch in early or late, anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes at either end. They say they are “getting their workstations ready” or “finishing up.” Their supervisors have informed me that the overtime is not authorized and should not be paid. But I think I have to pay it if […]
While staph infections have long been linked to hospitals and other healthcare settings, with increasing frequency a super-drug-resistant staph strain—known as MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus)—has been spreading in other communal locations, such as schools and workplaces. During a recent audio conference, experts Jeffrey Hageman, an epidemiologist at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, and Dr. […]
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has announced that in 2007, its Wage and Hour Division recovered $220,613,703 in back wages, the highest amount ever, on behalf of 341,624 workers. These back-wage collections exceeded the previous record levels from 2003 by 3.8 percent. In addition, the division assessed over $10.3 million in penalties in 2007.
California employers can breathe a deep sigh of relief: The California Supreme Court has just ruled that workers who use medical marijuana aren’t protected by the state’s disability bias law or the Compassionate Use Act.
Resources for Humans editor Celeste Blackburn reviews the book How Life Imitates Chess: Making the Right Moves from the Board to the Boardroom by Garry Kasparov. Reviews highlights how book’s theories on strategic thinking can be used in HR, business, and personal life. Despite what the title seems to imply, Kasparov doesn’t give secret grandmaster […]
Super Bowl time! Who do you have in the pool? Only a few more hours to get in! Office betting pools sound like good, clean American fun, but are they actually illegal gambling? Experts say yes. With Super Bowl XLII this Sunday and March Madness right around the corner, it’s a busy time for the […]
BusinessWeek ranks business books that are the most recent bestsellers and provides a short summary. 1. Basic Black by Cathie Black. The president of Hearst Magazines provides advice for achieving success and balance in life. 2. The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss. The author unveils the secrets to joining the “New Rich.” 3. Strengthfinder 2.0 […]
by Brian Smeenk, formerly with McCarthy Tetrault A new statutory holiday, Family Day, has been declared in the province of Ontario. It will be celebrated on February 18. In subsequent years, it will fall on the third Monday of each February. Employers should begin considering how their organization will respond. In particular, employers should begin […]
By Donovan Plomp McCarthy Tetrault In Canada, employees are entitled to certain government-provided benefits under the federal Employment Insurance Act, including “compassionate care benefits.” The introduction of these benefits in January 2004 prompted almost all provinces and territories to introduce job-protected compassionate care leave in their respective minimum employment standards laws. Employers in Canada must […]