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Employers Should Prepare in Case Swine Flu Returns this Fall

A swine flu pandemic was a no-show this past spring, but there’s no guarantee it won’t come roaring back when the regular flu season gets under way this fall. Swine flu (also called the H1N1 virus) should be taken seriously because this particular strain hasn’t been seen before, so people haven’t built up natural immunity. […]

Hard to Fill Roles: Tips for Recruiting Creative Talent

Everything these days is web-based, from online shopping to chat-bot-doctors and everywhere in between. We’re an interconnected world and because of this, we need more and more creative tech talent to help build websites, mobile apps, and more to help keep the Internet of Things running smoothly. However, many employers are saying it’s a struggle […]

Usability – a New/Old Way to Improve Even the Best Ideas

By BLR Founder and CEO Bob Brady BLR now has what many think is the finest HR website available (HR.BLR.com), but its origins are very humble. In today’s column, I’d like to write about how we got from A to the current version, 3.1—and about a concept you can use to improve your HR ideas […]

Are Your Vacation Priorities in Order? 5 Strategies

According to the results of a new survey, 31 percent of employees won’t use all of their vacation days this year, and the average U.S. adult will leave about three vacation days on the table. The survey, conducted by online travel agency Expedia, found that work stress is driving the trend toward foregoing all available […]

At Will—The Most Dangerous Myth in Management

You can fire anyone, anytime, for any reason or no reason. That’s heady stuff for any manager, but it’s dangerous to think that way. First of all, is it true? Can you fire anyone for any reason or no reason? In most states, absent a contract to the contrary, most employees are “at will.” So, […]

For Long-Term Medical Leaves, Communication Is Key

You must be careful when you craft and enforce policies addressing prolonged absences. Even when an employee has exhausted her statutorily protected leave, you should consider offering additional leave as a reasonable accommodation unless you can demonstrate that you would suffer an undue hardship because of the continuing absence.

Are Forces of Secrecy Blocking Path to Health Cost Control?

Health reform has passed and it was supposed to change the world. But it has yet to take effective action on the biggest problem — the upward spiral of health costs! Raise your hand if you think there is a connection between insurers’ and providers’ lack of transparency on premiums and fees, and that upward […]

Unsupportable Requirements in Job Description Doom Defense

Yesterday’s Advisor detailed job description horror stories. In today’s issue, another story, and an introduction to an extraordinary collection of job descriptions, written for you and ready to go. Unsupportable Requirements in the Job Description You don’t hire Susie for the shipping department job because the job description requires the ability to lift 80 pounds […]

Supreme Court of Canada Broadens Dismissed Employee’s Duty to Minimize Damages

By Rachel Ravary and Philippe Lacoursière McCarthy Tetrault Chalk one up for employers! In an era when the courts seem to be on a slippery slope of broadening employee rights, Canada’s highest court has given employers a break when it comes to assessing the costs of dismissing an employee without cause. In its decision earlier […]