Wednesday December 4, 2024

NLRB’s ‘ambush’ election rule: 12 things all employers need to know now

Here’s a choice for you: Pore over the National Labor Relations Board’s (NLRB) 700-page new “ambush” election rule — or read our less-than-700-word breakdown of what it actually means to you.  First things first: If you’re up for it, you can find the rule in its entirety here. The rule will take effect April 14, 2015, […]

Employers are the big winners in Supreme Court’s recent ruling

Employers have just been given a lot more wiggle room when it comes to what they do and don’t have to pay workers for.  Employers of hourly workers – especially the likes of Amazon, Apple and CVS Pharmacy – are breathing a huge sigh of relief after the Supreme Court just handed down a landmark […]

Background Checks May Help Avoid Lawsuits

Before your company hires a potential employee, you should consider a background check to help you make legal and educated pre-employment decisions. Background checks typically allow an employer to verify previous education, employment, credit report and civil records. Background check service companies specialize in distinctive fields, so make sure you are paired with the best […]

Topics managers should avoid in the workplace, and dealing with argumentative workers

HR pros know managers can land your company in trouble when supervisors aren’t careful about what they say around the office.   If the wrong thing slips out in conversations, an employee might misconstrue a manager’s comments as bias against certain people. And that can lead them to discrimination or wrongful termination lawsuits. Touchy topics Employment […]

4 tips to calculate full-time employees under Obamacare rules

Employers have 11 months to nail down just how many full-time employees they have before Obamacare’s employer mandate kicks in. The problem is, the law’s formula is tricky. To help with the math, 15-year benefits compliance vet Sheryl Southwick has some advice for employers.   ____________________________________________________________________________________ Under the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) shared responsibility provision, […]

Does paying employees to eat mean you don’t have to pay them to change?

Three workers recently sued their employer to collect overtime pay for the time they spent putting on uniforms and protective gear. But this employer had an interesting defense — that worked.  Meet the employer: a DuPont manufacturing plant in Towanda, PA. Meet the employees: Bobbi-Jo Smiley, Amber Blow and Kelsey Turner — all three worked 12-hour shifts […]

The worst list of holiday party rules you’ll read this year

OK. so it’s time for the obligatory holiday party story — the one where we run down all the bad things that might get employers in legal trouble during a get-together that’s supposed celebrate the season, raise employee morale and get people pumped for a bang-up 2015.   If we were just a hair more […]

Can you believe workers actually gave these 10 awful office gifts?

As you may have heard, holiday office parties can go south pretty quickly. And apparently, the gifts exchanged at such functions can be equally disastrous.  CareerBuilder recently asked more than 5,300 people (3,103 workers and 2,203 hiring managers) to name the most unusual gifts they’ve received from a co-worker. With a sampling that large, you’d […]

Four typical breakdowns of succession strategies that most HR leaders fail to realize

Despite increased investments, most organizations don’t have the leadership candidates in place to meet future demands. In fact, CEB research finds that only 28% of current leaders were predetermined by a succession plan. This white paper outlines the four ways that traditional leadership pipelines are broken and the steps needed to shift toward a portfolio […]

The dismal prospect of firing somebody around holiday time

Firing somebody just before the holidays strikes most people as the most Scrooge-like move an employer can make.  HR consultant Rose Miller, writing in the Albany Times Union, recently took a clear-eyed look at the question, and suggests that there are some reasons for unloading an employee during what’s supposed to be the most festive […]