Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
by Michael Futterman and Jaime Touchstone As fast-food and other low-wage workers protest for pay raises and President Barack Obama pushes for a higher federal minimum wage, California employers need to prepare for a $1 increase in the state’s minimum wage. California’s minimum wage will rise to $9 an hour on July 1 before hitting […]
Planes, trains, automobiles … and buses, subways, and vanpools. Mass transit is the enviro-friendly (and cost-conscious) way to get to work. Soon the list may include a new way for techies in the Big Apple to get to their jobs—they can take the “nerd boat” to DUMBO! Administration and the New York State Department of […]
Amazon.com updates its list of bestselling business books hourly. Here is a snapshot of what books were hot this morning — Monday, December 10. The Lies About Money by Ric Edelman. Exposing the seamy underbelly of the retail mutual fund industry, this helpful primer by seasoned financial advisor Edelman offers step-by-step instructions for how to […]
The first step in tackling any problem is to understand it. Henry Neils, who heads an organization known as the International Assessment Network, has identified 13 signs of work-related burnout: 1. Chronic fatigue (exhaustion, tiredness, a sense of being physically run-down) 2. Anger at those making demands 2. Self-criticism for putting up with the demands […]
In a democracy, social issues regularly become political issues, and solutions (including compromises) are worked out through public elections. Since employers and unions are frequently on opposite sides of key issues, both attempt to involve the public and spend extensively to support their respective positions or solutions. Both the short- and long-term ramifications of this […]
What’s one of the killer problems with defending wrongful termination lawsuits? When “the story” about why the person was fired is inconsistent. That is, when HR, the manager, and the documentation don’t agree. For example, here’s what happens: The employee’s performance is poor enough that he or she has to be fired. But the supervisor […]
Current and former employees are increasingly bad-mouthing their companies by posting negative and possibly defamatory comments about their employers on the Internet. And some employers have gone to great lengths to find out who is responsible. With layoffs on the upswing, employer-bashing is likely to grow as the number of disgruntled workers increases. Now a […]
In yesterday’s Advisor, we shared results from a recent Vault survey on recruiter and applicant etiquette. Today, questions about actions after the interview, and a look at a training system to help your supervisors with interviewing and other critical skills. Here are some additional responses to Vault’s 2008 Interview Etiquette Survey: Question for recruiters: How […]
Final mental health parity rules issued Nov. 8 make several changes to the prior, interim version. The exemption for “clinically appropriate standards of care” was eliminated because regulators decided it was confusing and subject to abuse, and the rules’ application to “intermediate” coverage levels was clarified in response to uncertainty about how the interim rules’ […]
Employers and jobseekers alike are getting more direction on employer use of background checks with the release of two technical assistance documents from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). On March 10, the EEOC and the FTC copublished the documents, which are available on the agencies’ websites. The documents—Background […]