Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
The road to the 2016 U.S. presidential election officially begins today with the Iowa caucuses. Having grown up in Iowa, I have experienced the caucus process first-hand. It’s an interesting process that has a real grassroots feel to it, and it can produce some very interesting results that are often difficult to predict. If you’re […]
Super Bowl week is here. Everywhere you look (and I mean everywhere) this week, you will be reminded that the “big game” is this Sunday. You’ll be told what kind of chips to munch, the type of pizza to order, the beer, and soft drink to drink, the television or mobile app to watch it on, […]
by Norm Keith, Christina Hall, and Shane Todd “… [A] significant term of imprisonment is necessary to reflect the terrible consequences of the offences and to make it unequivocally clear that persons in positions of authority in potentially dangerous workplaces have a serious obligation to take all reasonable steps to ensure that those who arrive […]
by H. Juanita M. Beecher On January 29, President Barack Obama announced at a White House ceremony celebrating the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is proposing a new rule to collect pay data through the EEO-1 report. The proposed rule will be published in the Federal Register on […]
It’s one thing to strive for an equitable compensation system, but it’s quite another to really understand whether employees are being paid fairly and what to do if they’re not. With employees having instant access to salary data through the Internet—data that may or may not be relevant to their situations—and the debate becoming a […]
Lyft, a ride-hailing service that uses independent contractors as drivers, has agreed to settle a proposed class action lawsuit in California by paying $12.25 million and giving drivers certain protections, but the settlement doesn’t call on the company to reclassify its drivers as employees. The larger ride-hailing service Uber also is facing court action. The […]
by Jodi R. Bohr Although employers’ obligation to provide breaks for nursing mothers is not new (it took effect with the March 23, 2010, signing of the Affordable Care Act (ACA)), I’ve recently been presented with many questions about what the law requires. From the questions, I’ve realized two things: (1) Employers still do not […]
by Dan Oswald “I’d rather be lucky than good.” Those famous words were uttered by Lefty Gomez, a left-handed pitcher for the New York Yankees who played primarily in the 1930s. Take a minute to let that quote soak in. Would you rather be lucky or good? I guess if you had to choose between […]
The U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) new guidance on joint employment means employers must think ahead when they find themselves in relationships that may fit the definition of “joint employment.” In a January 20 post on his blog, David Weil, administrator of the DOL’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), announced new guidance related to joint […]
I have to admit that I’m just not a big fan of awards shows, and that includes the Academy Awards. Don’t get me wrong, I love movies. But I find awards shows dull and way, way too long. If something extremely funny happens, or someone makes an incredibly touching or socially impactful speech, I can […]