HR Blogs

Loyalty and Devotion to one's employees is generally a good thing.  However when ones loyalty to an employee causes a blind eye to be turned towards performance an organization's bottom line can really begin to suffer.  This article offers four signs that you have become victim to the "Employee Love Paradox"

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The United States Supreme Court’s decision in Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. v. Glenn provides an invaluable roadmap for employers, insurers, administrators and plan fiduciaries sponsoring or administering employee benefit plans regulated by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) to help position plan administration decisions made by fiduciaries that also are responsible for or are employed by the employer or insurer liable for funding the plan or with another financial interest impacted by the claims decision. 

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From the perspective of the employment lawyer, a properly conducted exit interview can be the first line of defense that can minimize or completely avoid employer liability. What is an exit interview? Exit interviews are individual meetings to question departing employees about their reason for leaving as well as their attitudes and observations about the company. These interviews are conducted in a variety of ways: the formal interview in which specific prepared questions are asked, a casual conversation interview, and the written questionnaire.

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A recent case decided by the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals signifies good news for employers who make a good faith effort to comply with the provisions of the Family & Medical Leave Act of 1993.  According to the court in Bass v. Potter, D.C. No. 05-CV-2002-TCK-FHM (10th Cir. 2008), in order for an employee to prove a "willful" violation of the FMLA by his employer, he must show that the employer "knew or showed reckless disregard" for whether its conduct was prohibited by the FMLA.  This holding should provide some level of comfort for those employers who make good-faith efforts to ensure their compliance with the requirements of the FMLA.

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Leaders today can unintentionally be drawn into conversation regarding younger workers and tight labor conditions, which simply does not solve the challenges present. This piece presents several questions which are helpful in potentially reorienting the conversation.

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HR/OD professionals are often asked to help change a corporate culture. The purpose of this blog is to provide some information about culture from the existing literature as well as provide best practices for diagnosing, mapping, and planning corporate culture change.  With the right tools, HR/OD can truly be a change agent and bring about radical change in the cultures of their organizations.

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Have you ever wanted to tell someone, “Hey, you know I can’t read your mind!”  Actually, I have to admit that I may have even said it aloud a few times to some of those individuals closest to me, but I think I’ve managed to just “think” it in the workplace while I was saying aloud (keeping it politically correct), “We need to keep the lines of communication open – so talk to me and let me know what’s going on.” 

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In addition to the recent military family leave changes to FMLA, employers will be interested in learning about the Department of Labor's decision to update the fifteen-year old regulations in an effort to improve communications among workers, employers, and health care providers.

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The story is all too familiar.  A company engages the services of an individual as an independent contractor.  In reliance on this type of relationship, the company does not deduct payroll taxes from compensation amounts paid, does not pay the individual overtime, does not provide company benefits, and takes other positions consistent with the existence of an independent contractor arrangement. Read More

Many employers provide tuition assistance benefits to their employees. Such programs are often viewed as “win-win” as the employee receives the money to pay or an education, and the employer has a better-educated employee. Employers often approve only those courses or areas of study that relate to the employee’s present position or anticipated career path within the company. Read More

Sexual harassment training is no longer a luxury utilized only by those employers who wish to be, or appear, proactive in an effort to promote a positive workplace. Since the Supreme Court's landmark decisions in the 1998 Faragher and Ellerth sexual harassment cases, subsequent court decisions and EEOC Guidelines have demonstrated that sexual harassment training is essential and is not to be viewed as something to be dismissed or taken lightly. Read More

On January 28, 2008, President Bush signed the National Defense Authorization Act. While this law was primarily intended to address concerns over litigation surrounding the Gulf War, one section of the bill included provisions extending Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) protection to close family relatives of uniformed service members. Read More