Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
It appears the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has started to lay the groundwork for off-site Internet elections for employees to determine whether they wish to be represented by a union. The first sign of this development was a Request for Information (RFI) published by the NLRB on June 9, 2010. In the RFI, the […]
Even if you’ve correctly classified an employee as exempt from overtime, you can jeopardize the person’s status by improperly docking their pay or otherwise treating the worker as an hourly employee. And mistakes can be costly, requiring you to pay past and future overtime. But there is a little-known special provision in federal law that […]
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has released new certification forms for leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). The new forms carry an expiration date of February 28, 2015, and replace forms that had a December 31, 2011, expiration date. The new forms appear to be identical to the old forms except […]
Sometimes it’s easy to overlook all the things that bless our lives. I mean, we’re suffering through the worst recession in decades. Unemployment has reached double digits. And we have troops abroad fighting a war. All of these things have either affected you directly or indirectly. Maybe you or someone close to you is currently unemployed. It […]
What role does trust play in the workplace? Employees who feel trusted are more likely to feel empowered and more likely to feel satisfied with their job. Trust is a major factor in employee engagement, and therefore in employee retention as well.
Recruiting online is fast, easy, cheap, and even fun, but dangers lurk within. This article, and a special May 1 BLR audio conference, will teach you how to navigate around them. Have you done any e-cruiting lately? No, not recruiting. That’s old hat! E-cruiting. E-cruiting, of course, is the buzz word flying around HR these […]
The U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs is expected to propose rules that will change how federal contractors write affirmative action programs. Currently, employers with more than 50 employees andmore than $50,000 in annual federal contracts must maintain affirmative action plans. The proposed changes will reduce contractor paperwork and streamline the […]
Yesterday’s Advisor covered the first three conditions that must be met to invoke an “affirmative defense” against harassment claims. Today we move on to the fourth condition, and bring you news about a unique tool that helps smaller HR departments with harassment—and the rest of HR’s major challenges. The fourth condition that must be met […]
In the heat of making an HR decision, are you sure you’ve considered all the key factors? Here’s a tool to help you do it. Anyone needing to conduct an investigation of workplace wrongdoing who read yesterday’s Advisor article on the subject should be grateful to Deborah J. Muller and Michael E. Ferrans. These two […]
The 7th Circuit in a 2-1 ruling refused to grant a preliminary injunction to Notre Dame University, which would have freed the university from participating in reform’s requirement to provide contraceptives at no cost to all women. In so doing the court criticized the university’s argument that signing an EBSA Form 700 — expressing objections to the contraceptive […]