Author: Stephanie Holstein, Attorney, Perkins Coie LLP

Washington Law Limiting Noncompetes Takes Effect January 1

Washington’s new law significantly restricting employers’ use of noncompetition agreements takes effect January 1, 2020. In addition to limiting the use of noncompetes, the law provides for generous damages when an individual successfully claims a noncompete is unenforceable.

pay

Where Do HR Managers Make the Most Money?

As an HR manager, you are probably keenly aware of competitive salary rates for your employees. But what about your salary? Where are the best jobs in HR, and which ones pay the most? A recent analysis sought to answer these questions. The analysis—called Where Are HR Managers Making the Most?—was recently released by Simply […]

Virtual Outplacement 101

Remember Blockbuster? I have a little nostalgia for the bygone days of browsing the video rental company’s aisles for a movie to watch, but I don’t think any of us are ready to give up our Netflix or Hulu to go back to the “good old days.” Driving back and forth from the store, choosing […]

resilience

Erasing the Workplace Stigma of Behavioral Health Conditions

Although our culture has made great strides in recent years in understanding those who struggle with behavioral health conditions, these individuals often face huge challenges in the workplace. Imagine an employee who is suffering in silence with a condition such as depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, or substance use issues and is struggling with feelings […]

Most Employees Want Their Bosses to Give Them More Responsibility

How would your employees rate their leaders? A recent survey of 1,000 full-time employees in the United States sought to understand precisely how employees feel about their boss in a very detailed way. The report, called the “The Boss Barometer Report US 2019,” was created by Kimble Applications. I recently had an opportunity to go […]

retention

Improving Employee Relations Must Be a Priority

A recent study found something very surprising: Nearly half of employees do not know their coworkers’ names. There are many excuses for this, including that some employees work remotely or in a different location or you work with so many people that you couldn’t possibly know them all. But what about that one guy? You […]

firing

Lawsuit Alert: Most Feel Their Termination Was Unjust

Part of ordinary business operations involves letting employees go. How you let them go and, perhaps more importantly, how they feel about being let go can have a large impact on what happens next. You don’t have to be an expert to understand that when former employees feel their termination was unjust, they are far […]

Companies Have to Be Better People to Get Great People

Two Supreme Court decisions from 2010 and 2014 gave freedoms and powers to corporations that had until then been reserved for individuals within the United States. The long and short of those decisions have been encapsulated in a common phrase: corporations are people. If corporations really are people, what kind of people are they? The […]

HR is More than a Role, It’s a Mission

HR seems to be more than a job; it’s a mission. To do the kind of work that HR professionals have to do, they really need to have a clear, organizing principle to how they approach their jobs. That’s how today’s guest feels about her job. Meet Amy Roy, the new Chief People Officer at […]