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Top CEOs Show Some Reason for Optimism

On June 23, the Business Roundtable released its Second Quarter 2009 CEO Economic Outlook Survey and there is reason for some optimism. While it’s not all blue skies and sunshine, it does appear that the storm clouds may be clearing. Good news is rare these days so I thought the survey was worthy of some […]

I'll Stop Exercising for a Pay Increase

There are many factors that influence employee satisfaction and the same factors that influence satisfaction can be used to attract talent to your company, as well. Obviously, one of the first to come to mind is compensation. Whether it’s a salary or bonus, you’d be hard-pressed to find an employee who wouldn’t like a little […]

Barbers Are Licensed, Why Not Leaders?

Just My E-pinionBy Steven M. Horner, SPHR Today’s guest columnist suggests that we’d have better business leaders if we made them get licenses to keep their jobs. Did you ever think about all of the service providers you come in contact with … barbers, accountants, lawyers, electricians, insurance agents, and so on? All of these […]

Exempt Employees: Federal Government Proposes Overhaul of Who’s Exempt from Overtime, but California Rules Still Stricter

The U.S. Department of Labor recently published a proposal to update the 50-year-old Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) regulations defining white-collar exemptions. The new rules could take effect by the end of the year after a public comment and review process. But, as explained below, the changes probably won’t have much impact on California employers […]

Q&A on pay surveys and pay raises

For employers looking to utilize pay surveys to get market benchmarks, where should they look? Who is the best source for pay surveys? What about employers who already have benchmarks but want instead to implement raises on a limited budget—how should they determine how much of a raise to give for everyone versus how much to only top performers?

Why that Great HR Idea Won’t Work in Your Company

By BLR Founder and Publisher Bob Brady Why great HR ideas don’t work. BLR founder Bob Brady explains why a good idea in one company “lays an egg” in another. HR policies and practices are not “one size fits all.” We’ve all tried ideas that work great for a colleague but laid a total egg […]

Ninth Circuit Reinstates Male Worker’s Harassment Claim

A federal trial court in Nevada apparently couldn’t believe that a woman’s sexual overtures to a male coworker would ever be unwelcome and rejected the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) attempt to file a harassment suit on his behalf. But in a recent decision, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals (which covers Alaska, Arizona, […]

Special from 2011 SHRM Conference: Employees “Too Scared” to Ask for Flextime Says Virgin Group Founder

Sir Richard Branson, founder and owner of the British branded Virgin Group, doesn’t think much of American flextime policies. He calls the amount of holidays “horrendous,” while the stingy vacation time bars employees from spending the quality time with their families and children that they need to reenergize. Sir Richard’s comments came at the 2011 […]

U.S. Supreme Court Punts on ACA Contraceptive Mandate Case

By BLR Legal Editor Jennifer Carsen, JD For the past several months, court-watchers have been waiting for the Supremes to resolve a split among the circuits on the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA’s) contraceptive mandate. Today, the court released its long-awaited opinion—without ruling on the merits of the case.