Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
So much has been volatile for the American worker since the Great Recession—but one constant has been the size of annual merit increases. For many years, merit increase budgets have continued to hover just under 3%, despite an improving economy, low unemployment, tax reform savings, and fierce competition for talent. Employers face competing cost pressures: […]
Employers often struggle with the Americans Disabilities Act’s (ADA) requirement to provide leave as a reasonable accommodation for an employee with a disability. How much leave is required? Is it ever okay to terminate an employee who requests leave? In a recent decision, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals provides some solid answers to employers […]
Anyone catch TV Land’s Younger last week (season 5, episode 9)? Because this is a G-rated blog, I’ll spare you the name of the episode. Suffice it to say, the episode showed that looking out for number one and clawing your way to the top does not help women achieve professional success.
For companies with seasonal high-volume recruiting needs, every year can seem like “déjà vu all over again.” Whether it’s hiring for open enrollment, tax time, or the holiday season, the pressure to find a large number of qualified candidates in a short span of time never goes away. In fact, it’s gotten even more challenging […]
Per yesterday’s Advisor, the exempt/nonexempt designation can be terrifically important: To employees, to you, and to the government. Today we’ll look at two ways to make it simpler and easier. One of the easiest ways to deal with exemption issues is to use a chart, says attorney Tom Makris of Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP […]
With the recent tragic death of comedian and actor Robin Williams, my family and I decided to watch one of his many great films over the weekend, Dead Poets Society. The movie is about a group of boys at a private prep school. It’s there that they meet Professor Keating, their new English teacher, who […]
In a typical workday, it’s almost certain that employees aren’t engaged in their specific job duties for a full 8 hours. Instead, employees frequently spend time tending to biological needs; scanning the Internet; and, of course, chatting with coworkers. Often, this chatting occurs around a literal or metaphorical watercooler—hence the term “watercooler conversations.”
Have you ever watched a movie and felt your heart racing or had to wipe tears from the corners of your eyes? Have you ever listened to your friend tell a joke and laughed out loud or gotten goose bumps from the recounting of a spooky coincidence?
Few conversations are as uncomfortable as having to directly address employee hygiene issues. Unfortunately, however, this is something that comes up in the workplace and must be managed appropriately.
Although this article will be published a good while after Mother’s Day was observed in the United States, at the time I wrote it, the annual holiday on which we celebrate our mothers was just around the corner. Normally, we don’t consider employment issues when we’re honoring our mothers. However, this year I came across […]