Remember the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s strong warning to companies about the problems that could arise from the use of employee criminal background checks? The agency has planted the flag on two federal lawsuits that claim the practice resulted in discrimination against workers. A BMW manufacturing facility in South Carolina, and a 10,000-store retail chain […]
Posted on June 20th, 2013 by admin
Filed under: Uncategorized | 191 Comments »
Service Catalogs for the 21st Century As HR Service Centers progress into the 21st century, they must simultaneously live up to the expectations of four distinct constituencies: Employees expect personalized service. Federal, State and local governments require procedural compliance. Executive leadership and shareholders expect high performance from all employees. Financial stakeholders require efficient, cost-effective operations. […]
Posted on June 19th, 2013 by admin
Filed under: Uncategorized | 180 Comments »
Here’s how one company’s offer letter opened up a whole can of worms about non-competes, employee contracts and confidentiality agreements. Pulse Technologies had an opening for an experienced Swiss Screw engineer, and decided to hire Peter Notaro for the position. Pulse sent Notaro an offer of employment letter. The letter described the position, responsibilities, location, […]
Posted on June 18th, 2013 by admin
Filed under: Uncategorized | 176 Comments »
New research says employees expect a lot from HR when it comes to employee recruiting and motivation. And if staffers don’t get it? They’re jumping ship — even if they otherwise love their job. The proof: More than half of employees would consider leaving a job they’re happy in if another company approached them in […]
Posted on June 17th, 2013 by admin
Filed under: Uncategorized | 192 Comments »
Arbitration clauses are common these days — most employers figure the odds of winning over a single business professional are a lot higher than trying to sway a group of laypersons who are probably pro-employee to begin with. But a recent Supreme Court decision points out the importance of carefully crafting those arbitration agreements. […]
Posted on June 16th, 2013 by admin
Filed under: Uncategorized | 31 Comments »
It’s a given: Intermittent FMLA leave is a giant thorn in the side of HR people everywhere. But not all intermittent leave requests are equal. Here’s a look at some of the most common scenarios, and how to handle them. The FMLA allows employers some flexibility in granting different kinds of intermittent leave. Employees […]
Posted on June 15th, 2013 by admin
Filed under: Uncategorized | 179 Comments »
Still using unpaid interns? Here’s another court decision that might convince your top management it’s usually not a great idea. The latest organization to get nailed for the practice: Fox Searchlight Pictures. A federal district court in Manhattan ruled that two interns on the movie production of “Black Swan” should have been paid because the […]
Posted on June 14th, 2013 by admin
Filed under: Uncategorized | 184 Comments »
Know how some managers seem hell-bent on making their employees miserable? Here’s a blueprint to guide them to their goal: staffers who feel that no matter what they do, they simply don’t matter. According to Christine Comaford, author of SmartTribes: How Teams Become Brilliant Together, when leaders say or do something that makes employees feel insignificant […]
Posted on June 13th, 2013 by admin
Filed under: Uncategorized | 167 Comments »
Service Catalogs for the 21st Century As HR Service Centers progress into the 21st century, they must simultaneously live up to the expectations of four distinct constituencies: 1. Employees expect personalized service. 2. Federal, State and local governments require procedural compliance. 3. Executive leadership and shareholders expect high performance from all employees. 4. Financial stakeholders require efficient, cost-effective operations. […]
Posted on June 12th, 2013 by admin
Filed under: Uncategorized | 166 Comments »
Emotions can run high in today’s workplace. And those intense feelings carry some serious consequences. Take, for instance, the saga of Duane Thomas Marine Construction on Marco Island, FL. Howard Mavity of Fisher & Phillips recently wrote about an employee of the marine contractor who said the owner — that would be the aforementioned […]
Posted on June 11th, 2013 by admin
Filed under: Uncategorized | 178 Comments »