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Tips and Suggestions

The Top 5 Ways to Create an Effective Onboarding Program for New Hires, by Alexia Vernon

Written on 25 Apr, 2012 at 14:36

5 ways to effectively onboard new employees, taking all employees from new hire to peak performer.... (Continue reading)

Diversity in the Workplace, Part II – Implementation

Written on 24 Feb, 2011 at 14:40

In Part II, we discuss the various methods suggested by studies and employers to implement diversity in the workplace.... (Continue reading)

Book on Rebuilding Trust Sets Example for Employers

Written on 4 Feb, 2011 at 9:36

A new book penned by Dennis and Michelle Reina lays out a guide for employers to rebuild trust in the workplace.... (Continue reading)

Your Employee Handbook–Suggestions and Links for Creating and Updating It

Written on 11 Oct, 2010 at 9:47

Introduction: Should You Have an Employee Handbook? An employee handbook that’s prepared and reviewed thoroughly and properly customized is great. But as with a written employee evaluation–which can either help or hurt your legal position, depending on whether it was... (Continue reading)

“The Company You Keep”: Association Discrimination under the ADA

Written on 31 Aug, 2010 at 11:22

Avoiding Discrimination against Employees Who Care for Disabled Family Members Most employers and HR managers understand the discrimination laws in terms of protecting people based on “protected characteristics,” such as race, national origin, religion, gender, age, or disability. A protected... (Continue reading)

Male Sex Stereotyping: Going Where No Man Has Gone Before

Written on 8 Jun, 2009 at 5:30

The following guest post is by attorney Ellen Simon, who has been listed as one of The Best Lawyers in America for her landmark work representing individuals in precedent-setting cases. Ellen blogs at the Employee Rights Post. Stereotyped Statements As... (Continue reading)

Expensive Trade Secret Protection Lesson for Employer — $17.5 Million Verdict in Lawsuit Over Employee’s Hard Drive

Written on 20 Apr, 2009 at 5:00

Trade Secret Protection Efforts Land Company in Losing Lawsuit Earlier this month, after a seven-week trial, a California jury awarded $17.5 million to a former employee in his lawsuit against his former employer for breaking into a laptop owned by... (Continue reading)

Cutting Costs Without Layoffs? 14 Tips for Employers Seeking Alternatives to Pink Slips

Written on 17 Mar, 2009 at 11:00

News of layoffs has been rampant since our economy began lagging in 2007. Recently, it seems impossible to turn on the news without hearing about more people losing their jobs. After all — the country is in a recession, businesses... (Continue reading)

Charming the Stimulus Act COBRA:
New COBRA Rights and Employer Obligations

Written on 26 Feb, 2009 at 16:47

A federal subsidy of continued health coverage under COBRA is one of the main “ease-the-pain” provisions of the Stimulus Act enacted Tuesday, February 17, 2009 (the American Recovery and Reinvestment Tax Act of 2009). This provision is intended to keep... (Continue reading)

New Family And Medical Leave Act (FMLA) Regulations Address Wide Range of Issues

Written on 16 Feb, 2009 at 17:03

New FMLA Regulations Took Effect January 16, 2009, Significantly Impacting FMLA Law On November 17, 2008, the US Department of Labor issued long-awaited updated regulations governing the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), effective January 16, 2009. The first post... (Continue reading)

Overtime Pay, the FLSA & “Time Theft” — Part I (Introduction and White-Collar Exemptions)

Written on 14 Jan, 2009 at 5:00

Who “owns” an employee’s time? Are you stealing from your employer if you take a personal call at work? What about if you check your personal email, or take some time to send out resumes? Does it matter whether you’re... (Continue reading)

HR Metrics and Strategic Human Resources Planning

Written on 12 Dec, 2008 at 6:00

Human Capital — Truly Your Company’s Greatest Asset In this economy, measuring your bottom line or your company’s success on Wall Street isn’t enough. Instead, says Denise Kingsmill, deputy chair of the United Kingdom’s Monopolies and Mergers Commission, “Directors need... (Continue reading)

Top 7 Mistakes Hiring Managers Make When Advertising Open Positions

Written on 28 Nov, 2008 at 15:57

This guest post is by Thomas Torresson, courtesy of Recruiting Blogswap. There are plenty of reasons a particular job ad may not work well. Sometimes these mistakes are tough to recognize and even harder to learn to avoid. Here are... (Continue reading)

Is Workplace Bullying Cause for Concern?

Written on 10 Nov, 2008 at 16:01

When Bullies Grow Up What happens to playground bullies who grow up to be workplace bullies? And what happens to the companies where they work? This is the focus of an article entitled “Workplace Bullying Suits on the Horizon.” Successful... (Continue reading)

Do’s and Don’ts of Hiring an Independent Contractor

Written on 3 Oct, 2008 at 0:12

Independent Contractor Agreements – A Match Made in Heaven? Today’s employers are watching their bottom line more closely than ever before, including examining the costs associated with maintaining a full time workforce. At the same time, workers are looking for... (Continue reading)

“Blind Hiring” to Avoid Bias: Wave of the HR Future, or “Blind Alley”?

Written on 4 Aug, 2008 at 17:21

Is a hiring manager named "David" more likely to give an edge to a job candidate also named "David"? Recent academic research suggests that the answer is “yes,” even for other names with similar sounds, like "Dan" or "Dustin." What... (Continue reading)

Bulletproofing Employment Investigations

Written on 28 Jul, 2008 at 7:00

This post on workplace investigations that hold up to scrutiny emphasizes the importance of vertical and horizontal consistency and reasonableness in the investigation of allegations of workplace misconduct, such as harassment.... (Continue reading)

Love in the Workplace: Dreamy or Dangerous?

Written on 14 Feb, 2008 at 1:28

In this special guest post, Cynthia Shapiro, career expert and best selling author, says that, contrary to conventional wisdom, you CAN have an office romance without hurting your career if you know (and heed) a few “insider secrets.” He’s got... (Continue reading)

Transgender Employees: What’s an Employer to Do?

Written on 15 Oct, 2007 at 10:31

The following is a guest post provided by Dr. Jillian Todd Weiss, Associate Professor of Law and Society at Ramapo College, who researches this area, as well as consults with corporations and writes a popular blog on the subject, Transgender... (Continue reading)

How to Write a Great Reference Letter

Written on 18 Sep, 2007 at 22:00

Being asked to write a reference letter for a former or departing employee may be a source of undue stress, time demand, and hassle, depending on how naturally writing comes to you — or not. Today, while poking around a... (Continue reading)

9 Tips to Beat the Heat and Look Professional: Women

Written on 22 Jun, 2007 at 8:59

At many offices across the country, today is Casual Friday. If you’re wearing a company polo and a nice pair of khakis, or something even fancier, pat yourself on the back. If you’re wearing a halter top and other people... (Continue reading)

9 Tips to Beat the Heat and Look Professional: Men

Written on 21 Jun, 2007 at 11:34

On the official first day of summer, we thought you’d like some tips to beat the heat while continuing to dress professionally for work. A late-’90s survey of 500 businesses showed that relaxed workplace dress leads to relaxed manners, relaxed... (Continue reading)

Teens May Need to Look Hard for Summer Jobs

Written on 3 Jun, 2007 at 21:31

To all the parents who’ve been stopping by the blawg lately to read about family responsibilities discrimination: we’ve got some bad news for your teenage children. The Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University has predicted historic low teen... (Continue reading)

Friday humor; introducing a new drug testing option

Written on 22 Feb, 2007 at 21:34

The short video below introduces a whole new concept in drug testing, one that avoids the pitfalls of conventional urinalysis. Check it out. Read the true story behind the video. Options include testing skin and testing surfaces, such as desks... (Continue reading)

Should You Really Write that in a Corporate Blog? Legal Guidelines for Company-Sanctioned Blogs

Written on 12 Feb, 2007 at 23:05

This post was written by Charles Savoni of The General Counsel LLC. Are blogs a benefit or a risk to a company’s reputation? Corporate marketers agree that blogging is an effective and direct way to build a meaningful dialogue with... (Continue reading)