Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
by Kara E. Shea Even though material aspects of Affordable Care Act (ACA ) compliance have been delayed, employers are still scrambling to understand and prepare for compliance with the new regulatory scheme. Early on, compliance has been something of a numbers game because the “play or pay” mandate is limited to employers with 50 […]
by Boyd Byers Is your employee handbook or policy manual haunted by shadowy policies and provisions that are treated as though they aren’t even there? “Ghost policies” can creep into a handbook in a number of ways. They may be relics that once lived useful lives—the legacies of long-departed HR managers—but their original purpose is […]
By Julia Kennedy It should be a relief to many employers (and employees) that their company has just one board of directors, with no second house to blockade budgets, freeze operating funds, or send large portions of the workforce home. Since an estimated 800,000 U.S. government employees were “furloughed” or required to work without pay […]
Employers are always on the hunt for ways to attract, retain, and engage employees. They resort to a variety of perks including flexible scheduling, plenty of paid time off, and more. But employers also strive to go beyond those common incentives as they search for an innovative perk that will produce a payoff in the […]
by Daniel C. Stockford What would you do if a senior manager in your company was prone to making the types of controversial and incendiary remarks for which Maine Governor Paul LePage has become famous? In this article, we will examine the governor’s history of controversial statements and explore what can be done when a […]
By Lorene Novakowski In two recent cases out of British Columbia, employers were found to be entitled to collect GPS information from service vehicles and from mobile phones issued to employees. Employees had complained that the collection of the GPS information was contrary to the BC Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA). The complaints were considered […]
As an avid Parks and Recreation fan, I cannot help but love the chemistry between newlyweds Leslie Knope and Ben Wyatt. Long before they were joining their dysfunctional families via a wedding with a punch heard round the world and a unity quilt (complete with a patch dedicated to waffles, of course), these two were […]
Few would argue that managers play a large role in attracting the best employees and keeping them engaged and productive. An effective manager keeps the team strong. The trick is learning how to improve managers and figuring out whether, or even if, the human resources department has any control over manager effectiveness. Pete Smith, a […]
by Peter A. Jones A New York employer offered its employees a 15 percent pay raise if they had the company logo tattooed on their bodies. Reportedly, there were no limitations on the size or location of the tattoo, and about 40 employees accepted the offer and are receiving raises after having been inked. There […]
This season, the network that originally brought you “COPS” is giving the oversaturated police-television show market a somewhat fresh take through its cop comedy called “Brooklyn Nine-Nine.” The show stars Andy Samberg as Det. Jake Peralta, a “talented, but carefree” (Fox’s words—not mine) detective dealing with his new hard-nosed, rule-following boss, played by Andre Braugher. […]