Tag: human resources

COVID-19 Benching: H-1Bs Can’t Sit This One Out

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic continues to complicate how employers approach temporary layoffs and furloughs spawned by lost revenues and reduced demands for their services. As if navigating the employment-based immigration laws weren’t complicated enough, now employers must balance implementing cost-saving measures with their federal obligations to employer-sponsored migrant workers.

Determining Voluntary Termination Under ARPA

Under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), if an employee willfully and knowingly disregards company policy, is she not voluntarily terminating her employment? Also, in that same vein, when does misconduct move from violating company policy and arrive at “gross misconduct”?

hiring

Hiring Top Talent and Successful Virtual and In-Person Training

During the pandemic, remotely onboarding new team members turned into quite the challenge for many companies. The virtual environment undoubtedly made it difficult for hiring managers to foster a connection between their new team members and the existing team while demonstrating and communicating the company’s culture to new members in an authentic way.

training

Why the ‘Glass Cliff’ May Not Be Real (and What We Should Focus on Instead)

The “glass cliff” has been back in the media as of late, with both Forbes and Fast Company recently publishing articles on the subject. This may have been triggered by the appointment of Jane Fraser as the new CEO of Citigroup—a move that led some commentators to express concerns that Fraser was being put on […]

temporary

Creative Ideas for Making Training Fun

Training can—and should—be fun. Making training fun and interactive can help engage employees and boost the odds they’ll effectively apply what they learn to their job. Training has, undoubtedly, been more challenging during the pandemic, as employees may be located in a wide range of locations. And, even as employees are increasingly being called back […]

NLRB Says Contract Bar Is Here to Stay

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) recently affirmed it will continue to follow and enforce the long-established “contract-bar doctrine,” which provides unions with protection from ouster during most of a collective bargaining agreement’s (CBA) effective period.

engagement

Keeping Employees Engaged Remotely

According to Tom Schin, founder of Build Better Culture, an organizational consulting firm and workplace culture expert, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to keeping employees engaged. It really depends on the organization, its culture, and its employees. But, he says, there are some options employers should consider for helping to keep employees engaged both on- and […]

3 Critical Concepts Companies Must Master on Their DEIB Journey

Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) initiatives have become top of mind for businesses. According to a PwC survey, three-quarters of organizations are investing in DEIB programs. “In doing so,” the report said, “they hope to not only drive higher engagement” with employees, customers, and investors “but enhance financial performance and enable innovation.” It’s critical, […]

input

Tech Helping HR Focus on Humans

The world of HR is becoming more tech-focused all the time. With the implementation of automation, data tracking, artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms, and more, we are constantly pivoting to a new reality of HR as a tech-adjacent field. In the face of these changes, HR professionals may feel they are losing sight of the human […]

feedback

Protective Hesitation: Failure in Feedback

Protective hesitation may be a relatively new term for many, but it is certainly not a new concept in the workplace. What Is It and What Is Being Protected? Protective hesitation is when leaders don’t provide clear, consistent feedback to women and ethnically diverse staff because they’re worried about the recipients’ response or how they […]