Archives

Are California’s Workplace Marijuana Policies Going Up in Smoke?

Marijuana is becoming increasingly common in our society and in our workplace. Though medical marijuana has been legal since the Compassionate Use Act of 1996, the legalization of recreational marijuana has increased the number of times employers encounter situations with employees who are using or have used marijuana.

health

Benefit Expense Reduction: Reducing Healthcare Costs

Traditionally, employers reduced healthcare spending by passing along more of the premiums and other costs to employees. This, of course, is still an option, but it’s obviously one that employees don’t favor and will not go far in making the benefits package attractive. It also doesn’t address the root issue of cost reduction but rather […]

Q&A: Shifting from a Shareholder-Centric Approach to an Employee-Centric Approach

As an HR professional, you have likely run up against what is often called “shareholder democracy.” Need resources for that new engagement initiative? The answer might be “The board has not allocated funds for that effort during this fiscal year.” Want to implement that fancy new software? “Unfortunately, first-quarter results say we are going to […]

arbitration

Scalia Defends Private-Sector Record During Confirmation Hearing

President Trump’s nominee to lead the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) faced senators in a September 19 confirmation hearing where he signaled his views on various issues the DOL is facing and said his work representing businesses as an attorney wouldn’t keep him from fulfilling the department’s mission.

time

Effective Time Management Techniques

The saying “time is money” may be cliché, but like many such phrases, it’s cliché because it’s true. In an economy where employees are paid by the hour or the year, companies are literally paying for time. In fact, in an economy that is increasingly service-focused, labor costs can amount to as much as 70% of […]

engagement

Top 5 Ways to Keep Your Employees Engaged

According to Gallup research, only 13% of employees worldwide are engaged at work, and just 33% of employed residents in the United States are engaged. So, it’s no wonder that organizations of all shapes and sizes are becoming more preoccupied with keeping their employees engaged in the modern-day workforce.

Brand

Employer Branding: Practice What You Preach to Retain Top Talent

The candidate-driven market has forced employers to become highly competitive. Companies that want to recruit the very best must be known not only for their product but also as exceptional places to work. The science of carving out an organization’s image as a top employer is known as “employer branding.” But new research reveals that […]

California Governor Signs AB5: When in Doubt, Worker Is Employee

For most of a century, California law has favored the employment relationship and creates a likely presumption that a person whom you allow to perform work is an employee. The California Legislature just added one more brick to the employment wall, sending Assembly Bill (AB) 5 to Governor Gavin Newsom, who has signed it into […]