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.

OSHA Beefing Up Whistleblower Program

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has announced changes aimed at strengthening its protection of employees who report suspected unlawful activity on the part of their employers. The plan to correct problems with the Whistleblower Protection Program comes after OSHA conducted a top-to-bottom review prompted by audits of the program by the Government Accountability […]

WHD: The Six Most Common Wage/Hour Violations

What are the most common violations found by DOLs Wage and Hour Division (WHD)? Time clocks, rounding, training time, and break time are among the top six. By law, employees must be paid for all “hours worked.” In general, “hours worked” includes all time an employee must be on duty, on the employer premises, or […]

Social Media: NLRB Eyeing Employer Policies

Employer workplace policies on social media are being scrutinized in more than 129 cases before the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), says a study from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. This data wasn’t just handed to the Chamber. Rather, the group submitted a Freedom of Information Act request to the NLRB “seeking copies of all […]

A Comprehensive Grievance Procedure

Yesterday, we looked at some of the elements your employee handbook should include. Today, we’ll take an in-depth look at what your grievance procedure should look like, courtesy of attorney Peter Panken of Epstein Becker & Green, PC. We’ll also tell you how you can get a comprehensive collection of 101 California-specific employee handbook — […]

Discipline Derailed by ‘Evidence’ of Discrimination and Poor Documentation

In yesterday’s Advisor, we saw Jill’s mistakes disciplining Jack; today, more that can go wrong, plus an introduction to a unique guide for smaller—or even one-person—HR departments. Jill fired Jack, but hadn’t followed policy, hadn’t been consistent, and had little documentation. Jack sued. What else could go wrong? Plenty. [Go here for Jill’s story] ‘Evidence’ […]

Hot List: New York Times Bestselling Paperback Business Books

The following is a list of the bestselling paperback business books as ranked by the New York Times on August 8. 1. Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell. Why some people succeed — it has to do with luck and opportunities as well as talent. 2. Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates […]

Discipline: The 5 Last Things You Want to Hear

Discipline. Aside from performance appraisals, it’s probably the most neglected, most-often-put-off job in management. Managers and supervisors hate to deliver discipline, but delay is disaster. “I’ll ignore it—Let’s see if Jack will improve on his own.” Jack is a longtime employee, a copywriter in Jill’s Marketing Department. During the past several months, he’s been coming […]

FLSA Consent Decree Shows DOL Mission to Protect Low-wage ‘Vulnerable’ Workers in Small Firms

When it comes to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), no employer is small enough to fly under U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL’s) enforcement radar. Defunct 1st National Leasing Inc. agreed to pay eight former telemarketing employees $34,235 in back wages under a July 19 consent judgment that will put an end to DOL allegations […]

EEOC: Clarity on Wellness Incentives under GINA; Tongue-tied on ADA

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) once again refused to a take a position on whether employers may use financial incentives to encourage employee participation in wellness programs — without violating the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA). In an informal opinion letter from the EEOC’s Office of Legal Counsel, the commission assured employers that […]