Emergencies: Resources for Businesses Affected by Wildfires
Governor Schwarzenegger has announced a support network for small businesses impacted by the recent Southern California fires, to help these businesses recover as quickly as possible.
Archives
The 5 Killer Job Description Mistakes – and How to Avoid Them
Let’s hear it for job descriptions! OK, we agree, no one’s cheering about doing them, but we did explain in yesterday’s Advisor how important they are. Fortunately, there’s a handy program that makes quick work of job description tasks. We’re talking about BLR’s unique Job Descriptions Encyclopedia. Around here, we call it the “JDE.” Here’s […]
The HOT LIST: New York Times Bestselling Business Books
The following is a list of the bestselling hardcover business books as ranked by the New York Times on November 5. 1. The Age of Turbulence, by Alan Greenspan. The former Federal Reserve Chairman’s memoir. 2. Basic Black by Cathie Black. The president of Hearst Magazines provides advice for achieving success and balance in life. […]
Job Descriptions – Pain, Priority, or Both?
Job Descriptions: They’re probably the dullest task in HR management—annoying to do and easy to put off. But hold on—maybe you should get to them today. Let’s see why. “I’ve got more important things to do than going over dusty job descriptions.” Maybe you do. But when your CEO starts screaming about retention and employee […]
Diversity: We’d Like to Improve the Diversity of Our Workforce—Can You Help?
We aren’t subject to an affirmative action plan, but I’m concerned that our workforce isn’t very diverse and that we may be losing good employees as a result. What are our legal obligations with diversity, and how can we address diversity at our company? — Abby B., HR Manager in Bakersfield
Branch Wars
LITIGATION VALUE: $400,000 (that classified ad just isn’t going to look good to a jury) While I didn’t expect it to come from the Utica branch, it looks like the “the war for talent” that so many commentators have been writing about has finally hit Dunder Mifflin. Unfortunately for Michael Scott, the war simply can’t […]
Employee Leaves: How Do We Get Control of Our PTO Program?
We’ve got a situation around our PTO (Paid Time Off) program. When we first initiated it, people liked it, and we thought that the very clear policy—exceed your accrued PTO days and you won’t get paid for any additional time off—would work well. We figured employees would hoard their days, and that we’d only have […]
Tips for Creating Sound Documentation to Avoid Lawsuits by Employees
Although there’s no sure-fire method to prevent a disgruntled employee from filing a lawsuit against an employer, there’s a readily available tool that can help you defeat the majority of lawsuits: documentation. Employment lawsuits often are won or lost on the soundness and completeness of an employer’s recordkeeping practices. Here are a few tips to […]
‘Happiness Haters’ Unite Against Harvard Study
By BLR Founder and CEO Bob Brady Harvard says we need happiness at work. But BLR’s founder says something else is even more important. Once again Harvard University scholars have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to “discover” the obvious. After considerable research, the Harvardians concluded that workplaces are more productive when people are positive, […]
Claims Adjusters Don’t Qualify for Overtime Exemption
Liberty Mutual’s claims adjusters investigated and estimated claims, made coverage determinations, negotiated settlements, and identified potential fraud. The claims adjusters sued the insurer for back overtime pay, claiming they were misclassified as exempt administrative employees. A California appeals court has now ruled in the employees’ favor, finding that they didn’t qualify for the administrative overtime […]