Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
by Leslie Sammon When does an employee’s drive to work become paid time? The Fair Labor Standards Act provides the federal rules governing pay for travel time. Employees covered by the minimum wage and overtime requirements (non-exempt employees) under federal law must be paid for all hours worked. Some states also have laws addressing travel […]
It’s hard to escape all of the political news right now. If you keep an eye out, you can take something away from all the talking heads that you can use at work. Take some of the stories about vice presidential candidate, Governor Sarah Palin. The one that grabbed headlines recently was the story that […]
In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the number of age discrimination claims. In fact, according to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), age discrimination charges rose by approximately 15 percent in fiscal year 2007. Many observers attribute that trend to the fact that more employees are choosing to work longer and […]
Employment law attorney Michael Maslanka reviews the book The Set-Up-to-Fail Syndrome: How Good Managers Cause Great People to Fail by J.ean-Francois Manzoni and Jean-Louis Barsouxtalks. Review offers tips for helping supervisors talk to and communicate with employees. Practicing law has taught me a lot, and here’s something that proves true again and again: Real influence […]
by Karen Sargeant Americans are not the only ones going to the polls for a federal election this year. Canadians are on their way, too. Despite a planned federal election for October 2009, the Prime Minister just called a federal election, to take place on October 14, 2008. So how would this election affect labor […]
by Robert P. Tinnin, Jr. Q: I’m the owner of a business that sells big-ticket home furnishings. While reading the paper today, I discovered that my credit manager has filed for bankruptcy. Obviously, when the word gets around, it will really make me look like a fool! I want to fire him immediately, but a […]
Widespread among employers today is a “neutral reference” strategy in providing employment references for current or former employees. In fact, many attorneys have urged clients to adopt this policy to decrease exposure to liability. Of course, when you’re the one seeking a reference on a job applicant, this type of policy severely limits the information […]
Labor Day has come and gone. Our summer vacations are over, and it’s almost time for things like the NFL (your company isn’t sponsoring a betting pool, is it?) and the fall TV season, including The Office. In advance of the new season, now might be a good time to review your HR policies and […]
by Karen Sargeant We have all read a lot about employers monitoring employees’ computer use and whether employees can be fired for inappropriate computer use at work. What about inappropriate computer use at home? Can employees in Canada be fired for that? Two recent decisions say yes. In both cases, one from Alberta and one […]
Rainn Wilson (Dwight) has been all over the place lately promoting his new movie and the new season of The Office. One of his more interesting appearances in the media was a Business Week article in which he was interviewed about “office jobs from hell.” It was interesting to learn that Rainn used to work […]