Archives

At the End of the Rainbow: Looking Past COVID-19

Last March, in a matter of days, most U.S. employers went from doing business as usual to fully or partially shutting down. At the same time, we watched the stock market tank and wondered if we would ever return to normal. One way or another, most employers regrouped and reenvisioned how they conducted their businesses, […]

Employee’s COBRA Rights Forfeited Due to Employer’s Plan Termination

COBRA’s protection only arises upon the occurrence of a “qualifying event.” In other words, COBRA is triggered any time an employee or a dependent loses group health plan coverage. For COBRA to apply, there must be a loss of coverage caused by one of the specific statutory events: termination or reduction in hours of employment, […]

HR’s Thoughts on Balancing Company Culture and National Culture

Sandra was an HR Works Podcast 5-Minute Friday guest, listen to that here. “Culture” is a word that, in the world of HR, means company culture. But sometimes, a nation’s, a region’s, or an ethnicity’s culture becomes an important part of how HR maintains its company culture. Today’s “Faces of HR” guest has traveled all […]

remote

Transferring Public Learning Opportunities to the Virtual World

The transition from working on-site to working remotely in the COVID era has changed the workplace in myriad ways. One of the most obvious impacts has been the lack of in-person group time. While telecommunications technologies have been a savior for many companies and allow them to mimic much of in-office life in a virtual […]

age discrimination

No Age Bias in Demoting 51-Year-Old Employee for Lack of Accounting Experience

Former employees alleging age discrimination have the burden to prove the employment decision in question hinged on their age. In a recent case arising in Nebraska, the U.S. 8th Circuit Court of Appeals (which has jurisdiction over employment claims arising in the state) found the federal trial court in Omaha had properly dismissed the age […]

expectations

Don’t Let Unreasonable Expectations Doom Your Workplace Like It Almost Did to WandaVision

It’s official. The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has successfully expanded to television.  While Marvel has had previous forays into this medium (including Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and various shows on Netflix), WandaVision was Marvel’s first television show explicitly interconnected with the happenings of the MCU, which previously was only portrayed in feature films. And while the […]

engagement

Determining Whom to Bring Back to the Office

With multiple vaccines widely available and millions already vaccinated across the United States, the country is looking forward to returning to a world that, even if not exactly pre-pandemic “normal,” at least allows for the resumption of many in-person, group activities. This, of course, includes in-office work. Despite their worst fears, many companies have found […]

skills

Upskilling Isn’t Going Anywhere, as Long as You Get It Right

More than anything and like never before, the difference between business success and failure is having a growth mind-set vs. a fixed one. The pandemic crystalized this, giving us the best example of Carol Dweck’s theory of motivation in action. Companies that reacted and shifted their businesses quickly were able to better respond to the […]