Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
June marks the beginning of Pride, a month long celebration of the LGBTQ+ community, its history, and the fight for equal rights. Many of 2023’s Pride events are themed: D.C.’s “Peace, Love Revolution,” L.A.’s “All Out With Pride,” and N.Y.C.’s “Strength in Solidarity.” “Pride is a joyful celebration of all of the beautiful identities of […]
Employees are eager for solutions that will help them save money and manage their healthcare expenses. Simply consider the fact that more than 35.5 million Americans are enrolled in health savings accounts (HSAs) to manage healthcare expenses in 2022—a 9% increase since 2021. Unfortunately, there are even more people who are enrolled in HSA-qualified health […]
As summer heats up, employers in the Southwest should keep a close eye on how heat affects their workforce. Heat-related illness is a hot topic for the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) as well as state OSHA plans. Recently, an unusual settlement involved the Department of Labor (DOL) and OSHA over several heat […]
On May 1, the Supreme Court granted certiorari in Murray v. UBS Securities. Murray is a whistleblower retaliation case brought under the Sarbanes Oxley Act (SOX). Plaintiff Trevor Murray alleges he was terminated in retaliation for raising concerns to his supervisor about his employer (UBS) committing fraud on shareholders. The jury delivered a $1 million […]
Question Are we required to provide American Sign Language (ASL) or English-language interpreters for candidates in job interviews? If so, who pays? Answer Not necessarily, but you are required to reasonably accommodate candidates with disabilities, including candidates who are deaf. Reasonable accommodations can include sign language interpreters but can also include written materials produced in […]
When determining how to compensate nonexempt employees, employers have a variety of options. Paying an hourly rate is certainly the most common, but other methods include salary, commissions, daily rates, and piece-rate pay (sometimes referred to as piece work). Piece-rate pay refers to a system in which employees are paid a fixed amount per item […]
We falsely think that we are doing our jobs as managers by giving performance feedback—constructive or otherwise—to employees. Not so, according to Marcus Buckingham and Ashley Goodall in their article, “The Feedback Fallacy,” which appeared in the March-April 2019 issue of the Harvard Business Review. Neurons Don’t Lie Feedback focuses employees on their shortcomings. Developmental […]
A worker sued her former employer for wrongful termination in violation of the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination (NJLAD), claiming the employer’s conduct subjected her to severe emotional distress. On March 16, 2023, the New Jersey Appellate Division ruled her private social media accounts and personal cell phone records are relevant and must be turned […]
Employer focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), however well intentioned, needs to be handled properly, or it may have a detrimental effect on the workforce. While many employers promote DEI as “the right thing to do,” it’s essential for DEI success and acceptance that the right thing isn’t done the wrong way. Factors to […]
Many companies accumulate trade secrets, such as pricing schemes, business plans, and production shortcuts, but they don’t want competitors to tap into this private reserve of knowledge. The easiest way for a competitor to obtain these secrets is by hiring one of your key employees. A recent case from the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of […]