Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
I’ve been reading about how important it is from a legal standpoint to give accurate performance appraisals, and when I look over ours, I know we’re not doing that—basically everyone is “good” or “excellent,” even though managers complain about poor workers. I know we’re going to get in trouble if we fire any of these […]
We have agreed to operate on a team basis in our organization. We share workload, bonuses, etc. Now we’ve got a problem. We think someone on the team has stolen something from the office, but no one will admit to the theft. May we deduct a certain amount from each employee’s check to cover the […]
We’ve got a quandary. A number of our workers have been sent to Iraq and will be returning at some point. We are, of course, more than happy to reinstate them. But they will have missed a year or two of training and development. As we read the law, it looks like we must reinstate […]
We’ve got some situations brewing concerning moonlighting. We have a few employees who are working during their off hours for a company that competes with us indirectly, and we have a few others who we believe are missing work due to jobs elsewhere. We also have a few who are obviously pretty tired—again, we think […]
What makes an organization a terrific place to work? We set on the path to find out with the Employer Resource Institute’s 2006 Great California Workplaces Award contest. As we discovered, keys to a great workplace include unique, innovative, and effective programs that combine to create a relationship of respect and trust between employer and […]
The Internal Revenue Service has released cost-of-living adjustments for contributions to employee retirement plans, including 401(k), 403(b), and 457 plans, as well as profit-sharing, SIMPLE, and SEP plans. For information on the new limits, go to the IRS website. 10 Tips for Effective, Legal Performance Appraisals Don’t let your performance appraisals fall by the wayside. […]
By BLR Founder and Publisher Bob Brady In BLR’s nearly 30 years, I’ve hired a lot of people as we’ve grown to our present 225 employees. We have great people, from editors who get their kicks from analyzing regulations (yes, that can be fun!) to customer service reps who enjoy getting the billing and shipping […]
Bonuses are great motivators, but the legalities must be considered. Here’s what you need to think about. The recent Daily Advisor article on bonuses prompted reader questions on how these extra sums paid to workers, at holiday or other times, are viewed by the government, both in terms of taxes withheld and in light of […]
Bonus programs are changing. Some offer alternatives to cash, and others tie the cash to preset individual or team goals. If your employees are popping their heads in and out of their doorways this week, glancing down the corridor with an expectant look on their faces, it’s understandable. They’re waiting to catch sight of their […]
Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), you have to pay on-call workers as they wait. Well, sometimes, anyway. Here are the criteria. The week between Christmas and New Year’s is traditionally a “stand-down” time at many businesses. A lot of employees choose to use this week to burn off remaining vacation time rather than […]