Category: HR Management & Compliance

There are dozens of details to take care of in the day-to-day operation of your department and your company. We give you case studies, news updates, best practices and training tips that keep your organization fully in compliance with ever-changing employment law, and you fully aware of emerging HR trends.

Are You Getting the Biggest Bang for Your Training Buck?

Trainers are left to juggle these competing interests and to justify the company’s continued investment in training. However, trainers can create buy-in by demonstrating the value of training and positioning it as a crucial part of employees’ work, rather than a distraction from it. Anecdotal success stories can help create a positive mindset about training, […]

2013 Holiday Plans Revealed—How Do You Stack Up?

Most employers offer the “standard six” holidays, but after that, it’s quite a mish mash, say respondents to BLR’s Holiday Survey. For example, for 2012, 93 percent of respondents will offer December 25 off; however, only 43.6 percent will offer December 24. The survey, conducted by BLR’s HR Daily Advisor and HR Hero, was conducted […]

Maine passes gay marriage initiative

by Peter D. Lowe On Tuesday, 53 percent of Mainers voted to allow same-sex marriage. Question 1, which asked “Do you want to allow the State of Maine to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples,” was an indirect initiative. That means that because supporters collected the required number of signatures by January 2012 and the […]

California PTO policy questions and answers (Q&A)

If your PTO policy is designed and implemented correctly, it can work to boost employee job satisfaction while reducing unscheduled and unexpected leaves of absence. However, such a policy needs to be implemented in a way so that employees understand exactly how it works, and employers must understand that PTO policies are treated like vacation […]

IRS Gives Tax Break on Leave Donations to Benefit Storm Victims

Employees who want to help victims of Hurricane Sandy through leave donation may do so without being taxed on the monetary value of the vacation days, sick days and personal leave they donate, the IRS announced Nov. 6. In a leave donation program, employees forgo vacation, sick or personal leave and return it to their […]

Following FMLA Best Practices? Checklist Says…

Yesterday’s Advisor covered the tricky territory of delaying FMLA leave over late notification; today, a handy FMLA audit checklist, plus an introduction to the problem-solving guide many call the “FMLA bible.” As you go through the checklist, “Yes” answers indicate best practice or required practice. Where the practice is required, a citation to the relevant […]

Albuquerque minimum wage increase garners overwhelming approval

by Robert P. Tinnin, Jr. By an almost 2-1 margin, Albuquerque voters overwhelmingly approved a measure on the city ballot Tuesday that will raise the minimum wage from $7.50 per hour to $8.50 per hour effective January 1. The unofficial vote was 138,000 to 70,699. The current federal minimum wage is $7.25. The measure also […]

Can You Delay FMLA over Late Notification? Maybe, But …

When employees fail to follow regulatory guidelines for FMLA notifications, may the employer delay the leave? It’s a tricky question. Here are the answers: Proper Notice Required First of all, in order for the onset of an employee’s FMLA leave to be delayed due to lack of required notice, it must be clear that the […]

Telecommuting Not Required for Worker With Chemical Sensitivity

While some employees with chemical sensitivity may be entitled to work from home, that remedy is not always available, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio has ruled in Core v. Champaign County, 2012 WL 4959444 (Oct. 17, 2012). The court had ruled on July 30 in Core v. Champaign County that […]