Category: HR Management & Compliance

There are dozens of details to take care of in the day-to-day operation of your department and your company. We give you case studies, news updates, best practices and training tips that keep your organization fully in compliance with ever-changing employment law, and you fully aware of emerging HR trends.

Race Bias: EEOC Sues Employer Over Rap Music in Workplace

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has sued Novellus Systems, Inc., based in San Jose, charging that the company fired African-American employee Michael Cooke because he complained about having to listen to a co-worker’s rap music, which contained racially offensive lyrics. The lawsuit alleges that Cooke complained to his supervisors that a co-worker played […]

Compensation: Are Employees Satisfied with Their Pay?

According to a new survey, 48 percent of American employees say they’re paid well for the work they do, but 46 percent disagree. In general, those who felt adequately compensated were age 45 and older, held upper management positions, and worked for the same employer for at least six years. Employees who felt they should […]

Legal Hiring: Train Supervisors to Do It Right

Immigration issues have added another challenge to conducting your hiring program legally. Here’s a tool to help supervisors follow the rules. If the current debate over the hiring of immigrant workers shows anything, it’s how important it is these days to hire legally. Employment of foreign nationals … on the rise because of labor shortages […]

Hiring Foreign Nationals: A Visa Programs Primer

When the answer to a skills shortage is bringing in workers from other lands, do it legally by choosing the right visa program. Here’s what you need to know. A few years ago, the rock band U2 wrote a song called “These Are the Hands that Built America.” It spoke of how, over history, our […]

Technology: Can We Prevent Our Employees from Putting Up a Company Website Just for Employees?

Several of our employees have set up a website that is for information relating to our organization. They post all kinds of materials there, including ratings of bosses and departments, complaints, blog-like rants, and so on. And then, as well, they have a calendar, announcements, birthdays, and stuff like that. It’s becoming very popular with […]

Ending Tuition Reimbursement: Our Readers Talk Back!

By BLR Founder and CEO Bob Brady HR Daily Advisor readers react to suggestions that employee tuition reimbursement money could be better spent elsewhere. Two weeks ago, I “mourned” the fact that “nothing is sacred these days. Not motherhood. Not apple pie. Not even tuition reimbursement.” The “sacrilege” in that last category came by way […]

Youth Workers: New Law Will Bar Cell Phone Use by Teen Drivers

Governor Schwarzenegger has signed a new law that will prohibit teen drivers from using cell phones. Come July 1, 2008, the new measure, S.B. 33, will make it illegal for teens under age 18 to use wireless phones or other wireless communication devices while driving, even if a hands-free device is used. Note that this […]

Wage and Hour: California Supreme Court Limits Use of Class Action Waivers

Although employers have received some welcome rulings from the California Supreme Court over the past few weeks, a new decision from the high court squelches a tool some employers had used to prevent class action lawsuits in the wage and hour context. In particular, the court ruled that class arbitration waivers in employment arbitration agreements […]

The 6 Employee Types: What Jobs Do They Match?

Author Richard Warner says you must know what personality types employees are before you can match them to the right jobs. He outlines 6 types in a recent book. There’s been a lot of talk in business circles lately about “alignment,” which basically means getting all the assets of your business pointed toward the same […]

Recordkeeping: What Should We Do About a Lost Personnel File?

My question is embarrassing. We have lost an employee’s file. We just can’t find it. We’ve been able to reconstruct the standard HR paperwork like appraisals. But what about the forms and agreements the employee fills out and signs? Should we give them the paperwork all over again to fill out? If they refuse, what […]