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Legal vs. Illegal Hiring Questions

Protecting your business from unnecessary litigation begins well before an employee works a single day. Asking the wrong application or interview questions—or asking the right questions in the wrong way—can land you in court and come with a hefty price tag. But if you have a plan and take the time to learn which questions […]

How to Manage Intermittent Leave (Is that a Joke?)

By Stephen Bruce, PhD, PHR Just My E-pinion Special from BLR’s National Employment Law Update How to Manage Intermittent Leave (Is that a Joke?)< Chuckles greeted attorney Jeffrey Wortman when he announced that he’d tell his audience how to manage  intermittent leave under the  FMLA. He joined in the laughter, but said there are some […]

Gender orientation, Gender identification, Gender expression: A Sexual Harassment Glossary for Today

Sex discrimination used to seem simple (or so it appeared) but it has morphed into a miasma of complexity—transexuality, gender identity, gay, straight, transgender. What do these terms mean? How are they used? Here’s what you need to know: Before you begin talking sexual harassment to supervisors, employees, or lawyers, you need to get your […]

Retaliation: Can We Discipline Someone Who Is under an “Umbrella of Protection”?

Occasionally we have an employee we would like to discipline (or fire outright), but the employee has recently done something that leaves us open to a retaliation charge if we take action against them-like making a discrimination complaint, requesting FMLA leave, or talking to OSHA about safety issues. Right now, we have a manager who […]

President Signs COBRA Subsidy Extension Legislation into Law

President Barack Obama signed legislation into law today that would extend the original federal COBRA subsidy created by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The legislation was part of the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2010 (H.R. 3326), a bill that appropriates funds for the Department of Defense. The bill passed the U.S. […]

D.C. Circuit Blocks Implementation of April 30 Posting Requirement

The ongoing saga of delays and extensions of the National Labor Relations Board’s (NLRB) notice posting rule continues, this time with an injunction. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit has granted a request to halt the implementation of a rule that would require all employers subject to the National Labor […]

8 ‘Rookie’ Mistakes Hiring Managers Make

Most managers get thrown into hiring and interviewing without much guidance, and it shows—in poor performance and poor retention. Today’s expert shares the top eight mistakes managers make. Bad hires sap time, training resources, and psychic energy, says Susan M. Heathfield, blogging on About.com. Here are her top eight “rookie” mistakes (often made by experienced […]

Who Needs Forklift Training?

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) takes forklift safety very seriously. In fact, they’ve beefed up the standard to include very specific operator training requirements. OSHA’s standard on Powered Industrial Trucks has specific requirements for operator training (29 CFR 1910.178 (l)(2)(ii)) that require a combination of formal training (classroom, videos, etc.) with practical instruction, […]