Author: Tammy Binford

Boosting retention as turnover threat looms

2014 dawned with reports that employee turnover would reach critical mass during this year. Salary.com’s annual “January Job Hunters” survey claimed that employees were in many ways more satisfied with their jobs than in years past, but a whopping 83 percent of the people surveyed said they planned to look for a new job during […]

New Wyoming law defines misconduct for unemployment benefits

by Bradley T. Cave A new law taking effect on July 1 defines “misconduct” in Wyoming’s unemployment benefits statute. The definition outlines the circumstances in which a former employee will be disqualified from unemployment benefits. Wyoming law already states that an employee will be disqualified from benefits if the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services (DWS) […]

You don’t have to be Einstein to succeed or lead

by Dan Oswald In my last post, I wrote about an article that appeared in the June issue of Harvard Business Review (“The Big Idea: 21st-Century Talent Spotting”). The subject of the article was hiring for potential. Of course, to do so, one must know how to determine a person’s potential. The article’s author, Claudio […]

Flexible work, job protection, paid leave at heart of White House summit

by Tammy Binford President Barack Obama is launching a new effort aimed at increasing protections, opportunities, and wages for workers to create what the White House envisions as a 21st century workplace. The president, First Lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, and Dr. Jill Biden are hosting the White House Summit on Working Families […]

Houston Equal Rights Ordinance to take effect

by Michael P. Maslanka Houston employers need to be ready for the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance (HERO), which will take effect June 27. The new law adds to the protected classes already covered under federal and state law. Here’s a look at the major aspects of the law. Covered employers. During the first year, companies […]

What HR pros can learn from Casey Kasem

If you were a teenager in ’70s or ’80s who loved pop music, you undoubtedly recall huddling next to your AM transistor radio, maybe with your cassette recorder on standby so you could hit “record” at the just the right time, listening to “American Top 40” with its mellifluous host Casey Kasem. Each week, Casey […]

Keeping an open mind during workplace investigations

by Peter Lowe Internal workplace investigations turn sour for a variety of reasons, including haste, poor preparation, ineffective documentation, and a lack of investigatory skills. But in my experience, the biggest obstacle to fair and thorough investigations is the bias of the investigator. When an investigator starts out with a preconceived notion of guilt or […]

New Tennessee wrongful discharge law favorable to employers

by David Johnson A new Tennessee law going into effect on July 1 puts a cap on damages employees can collect in wrongful termination claims. Public Chapter 995 affects the Tennessee Human Rights Act (THRA), the Tennessee Public Protection Act (TPPA), and the Tennessee Disability Act (TDA). The new law imposes a cap on compensatory […]