Tag: BLR

Remember the Titans: Lessons for Football—and for Management

Oswald, CEO of BLR®, offered his takeaways from Remember the Titans in a recent edition of The Oswald Letter. Here’s what he says: The other night I walked in the door to find my youngest son watching the movie Remember the Titans. If you’re a regular reader of this column, you know I consider the […]

Train Employees How to React to Chemical Spills

Taking immediate and appropriate action after a chemical spill can save lives. If hazardous chemicals are present at your facility, train employees in how to react should an emergency occur. Here are some key actions employees need to be trained to take if they identify a chemical spill: Once you have identified a spill and […]

Reluctant Witness—Can You Demand Participation in Investigations?

What do you do about a reluctant witness, that is, the employee who doesn’t want to participate in your investigation? For guidance, we turned to BLR’s Workplace Investigations: The HR Manager’s Step-by-Step Guide.   Start with the Handbook Your employee handbook should have a provision stating that all employees are required to participate in any […]

Performance Problem—Blame the Job Description?

Well-written and effectively developed job descriptions are communication tools that allow both employees and candidates to clearly understand the expectations of the role, its essential duties, competencies, and responsibilities, along with the required educational credentials and experience, says Kennedy. Kennedy is the principal consultant of MAKHR Consulting, LLC, and author of the career coaching book […]

Selecting Your Outsourcing Vendor

Yesterday’s Advisor offered consultant Amy Letke’s guidance for HR managers considering outsourcing HR functions. Today, how to select your outsourcing vendor, plus an introduction to the everything-HR-in-one-place website, HR.BLR.com®.

DOL’s New Disability-Based Affirmative Action Requirements

In addition to the major changes discussed in yesterday’s Advisor, there are several other important changes that are included in the final Section 503 rule, says Schoenfeld. Definitions The definition of “disability” has been revised, pursuant to the ADA Amendments Act (ADAAA) of 2008. EO Clause Contractors will be required to state in solicitations and […]

Survey Asks Whether College Effectively Prepares Students for the Working World

Twenty-two percent of adult workers in a recent survey said that a college education does not effectively prepare students for employment in the workforce. Meanwhile, nearly the same percentage—25 percent—reported that college does effectively prepare students for the working world. Only 10 percent said college prepares students very effectively. The April 2013 survey of more […]

How Can You Grow the Next Generation of Employees?

Internship programs give employers opportunities to educate up-and-coming top performers and gain first-hand knowledge of how a particular individual would perform in his or her organization. Growing interest Competition for internship programs can be stiff, with interested college students far outnumbering available internships at some companies. For example, Cambridge Investment Research, Inc., (www.cir2.com) received résumés […]

Outsourcing: The Good, the Bad, the Far-Flung

Most managers won’t be able to get to the infamous 4-hour workweek, but most of them are looking to free up time, says consultant Amy Letke. And one potentially effective way to do that is to outsource some nonessential HR functions. What Is Outsourcing? Outsourcing is the contracting of an internal business process to a […]