Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
Workers who battle drive-time traffic, spend a significant portion of a paycheck at the gas station, and fight the distracting hubbub of the office may dream of working amid the comforts of home. There’s no frustrating commute, no office annoyances. But a good many telecommuters worry that they’re missing something because they’re isolated from colleagues. […]
Yesterday, we looked at attorney David Schmit’s “Workers’ Comp 101” tips for staying in legal compliance when discipline is necessary—including the importance of good cause and consistent treatment. Today, his thoughts on the key role of documentation.
Just My E-pinionBy Cindy McPherrin Cindy McPherrin, today’s guest columnist, offers her thoughts on the challenges of coping with her suddenly acquired HR responsibilities. (We’d like to hear about the challenges you’re facing as well.) I am the office manager of a two-family owned mid-size design/building firm. We have professional architects, we provide construction management […]
Note that the questions and responses that deal specifically with training are underlined. What’s the best way to get workers to be safer at work? 74% Training, training, training 11% Safety incentives 9% Discipline 6% Something else Should willfull, repeat OSHA violators be allowed removal from the Severe Violator Enforcement Program (SVEP) log? 68% No […]
by Susan G. Fentin Massachusetts is set to soon have the highest minimum wage in the country. On June 26, Governor Deval Patrick signed a bill that will raise the state’s minimum wage from $8 per hour to $11 an hour by 2017, the highest statewide minimum wage in the country and a full 50 […]
‘Ban-the-box’ laws are laws that say you cannot have a question on your application that asks ‘do you have a criminal conviction?’ Typically, applications will ask for an explanation or description if the answer was yes. This forces immediate disclosure.
You won’t know unless you have an effective methodology in place to measure it, say renowned experts from ROI Institute, Inc.
by Kevin C. McCormick Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley has signed a bill that prohibits discrimination against transgender citizens in employment, housing, credit, and public accommodations. The Fairness for All Marylanders Act, which was passed by the legislature on March 27 and signed into law on May 15, adds “gender identity” to the Maryland laws that […]
California lawmakers stayed busy throughout the year, passing a number of new wage, hour, leave and anti-discrimination laws. Here, in no particular order, are some of the biggies that go into effect Jan. 1: Pregnancy Disability Leave All employers with five or more employees will be required, starting Jan. 1, to continue to maintain and […]
By BLR Founder and CEO Bob Brady My recent column “Software Police: Best Way to Curb Webslackers?” generated interesting opinions. Most agreed that webslacking is an insidious problem, but two said to hold off on that monitoring—it’s no good for morale. Here’s a sampling of readers’ reactions: It is akin to an addiction “The problem […]