Don't HR Alone

Issue:   Katy, a long-time sales clerk, applied for the position of assistant store manager. Even though Katy was the best qualified applicant, the store owner decided to promote another employee after learning that Katy doesn’t have a driver’s license because of her epilepsy. The store owner told Katy that she was not promoted because she was unable to drive the store receipts to the bank. Is thi...

Issue:   Rick, a salesman, invited Bob, a business contact, to a baseball game. Rick purchased tickets for them to attend the game. While at the game, Rick bought hot dogs and drinks for both himself and Bob. Under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA), which amended the rules regarding deductions for entertainment expenses, can Rick deduct the game tickets, hot dogs, or drinks? Answer:  Based...

Paid family leave.  A new law in New Jersey will expand the state’s paid family leave program in a number of ways, including doubling the number of weeks for family leave insurance and temporary disability insurance; raising the weekly benefit; increasing the amount of intermittent leave; allowing leave to care for additional family members; barring discrimination and retaliation against employees...

Question:  Is the common flu considered a serious health condition under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)? Answer:  Most cases of the common flu do not meet the definition of “serious health condition” and would not be eligible for Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) leave. Some cases of the flu, however, are severe or result in complications, and these have the potential to meet the FMLA d...

Learn about  decision - making  and some ideas about how to do it with one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the hair industry, who is also an ex-Israeli special forces trainer,  Ronit Enos . In particular, learn why decision making can be difficult and how to overcome these problems. Hear for yourselves how this brave woman became BIG.

Today we interview Erin Longmoon, CEO of Zephyr Recruiting.  We talk cover her journey in creating her company, and get some great insights on the processes around attracting the best talent!

The minimum wage will increase in 20 states on or before January 1 Twenty states will see increases in the minimum wage in the new year—one, New York, actually beginning on December 31. The minimum wage increases are scheduled as follows: Alaska.  The minimum wage in Alaska will increase from $9.84 per hour to $9.89 per hour on January 1, 2019. Alaska’s minimum wage is adjusted annually based on i...

How to Have a Productive Exit Interview   It’s never an ideal situation when an employee leaves your organization. Whether it’s a voluntarily or involuntarily move, there’s paperwork to be completed, a new hire to be made, and an exit interview to conduct. If you skip the exit interview, you’re missing a golden opportunity to improve your organization. Even if the employee was fired, there’s...

Do You Have Mixed Emotions about Open Enrollment? It’s typical to have mixed feelings about the annual benefits open enrollment period. Dread for the additional administrative workload and potential benefits cost increases… Anticipation of newer, more attractive, and easier to administer plans… It makes for a fall season that causes many HR professionals and benefits brokers to drown their misery...

Automation can make HR processes run smoother, saving organizations time and money, and helping them avoid costly mistakes. However, it’s important to note that an automated HR system doesn’t replace the human element of HR. Rather, the goal is to unify all the employee life cycle events and components so your HR staff can focus on nurturing the people in your organization. You know, the human par...

Question: We have found pornography on an employee’s computer. How should we handle this? And, is an employee’s addiction to pornography protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)? Answer: An addiction to pornography is not protected because under the ADA, it is not defined as a disability. According to ADA, the term disability does not include: Transvestism, transsexual...

Starting a new job might be cause for nerves, but it shouldn’t induce headaches. Organizations that understand this fact will ensure their onboarding process is smooth for the new employee and seamless for the HR staff. Yet many organizations still struggle with onboarding. Their process is too slow, not efficient, or lacks the personal touch that puts new hires at ease. In this article, we’ll loo...

Question: We conduct hearing tests on employees and record any discovered hearing loss on our OSHA 300 log. Are we required to conduct tests on temporary workers we hire through an agency, and if so, should we report those hearing losses differently? Answer: Temporary workers hired and paid by a staffing agency and supplied to a host employer to perform work on a temporary basis are entitled to th...

For the important role they play within every type of organization or business, HR departments too often lack that… human touch. This isn’t their fault, however, as countless talented HR professionals are buried under cumbersome tasks and receive zero help from their outdated HR systems. If this describes your organization, it’s likely you view HR as an unproductive time suck or a necessary evil t...

Question: Are we were required by law to have a dedicated compliance officer, who cannot be the same individual who handles HR? Answer: No. In general, companies are not required by law to have a dedicated compliance officer. However, some sectors have specific guidelines in place for compliance officers. For example,  in the financial sector,  compliance officers are subject to regulations and en...

The forty-hour work week came about in 1938 as a result of the Fair Labor Standards Act, which also established that hourly workers had to be paid a minimum wage and overtime. Hourly workers are required to use timekeeping systems to track their hours, whereas in many organizations, full-time salaried employees don’t track their time. Is that the right choice? Should full-time salaried employees u...

Question: How do we handle overtime pay calculations for hourly employees when they receive nondiscretionary bonuses? Answer: A  nondiscretionary bonus  is a bonus based on an employee meeting criteria such as production, sales, quality, efficiency, or other performance standards. The federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requires that overtime pay be calculated based on an hourly employee’s reg...

It’s never an ideal situation when an employee leaves your organization. Whether it’s a voluntarily or involuntarily move, there’s paperwork to be completed, a new hire to be made, and an exit interview to conduct. If you skip the exit interview, you’re missing a golden opportunity to improve your organization. Even if the employee was fired, there’s insight to be gained. An exit interview is a un...

Q&A: Does a pregnant worker denied starting a job, when baby is due, have a plausible claim of discrimination? Issue:   Lucy, a part-time employee who works remotely, applied for a full-time position with her employer. During the second round of interviews, which included a discussion about the available position and its start date, Lucy told the interviewer that she was pregnant. The intervie...

While Americans have mixed views of unions, public sector organizing suffers setback The decline in the number of Americans represented by labor unions is seen more negatively than positively by U.S. adults, according to a new  survey  released by the Pew Research Center. Fifty-five percent of Americans have a favorable impression of unions, with a similar number—53 percent—viewing business corpor...

CareerBuilder’s midyear job forecast shows tough hiring environment for employers is paying off for job seekers As employers grapple with a highly competitive hiring environment that is causing prolonged job vacancies across the U.S., workers are reaping the benefits. According to CareerBuilder’s Midyear Job Forecast, 63 percent of U.S. employers plan to hire full-time, permanent worke...

Temecula nail salon cited $1.2 million for misclassification and wage theft of 36 workers The California Labor Commissioner’s Office issued more than $1.2 million in wage theft citations to a Temecula nail salon for misclassifying and failing to properly pay 36 workers. An investigation found that the workers at Young’s Nail Spa were not paid an hourly rate and not paid overtime despite working up...

PROPOSED LEGISLATION , (Jul. 24, 2018) A group of Republican, plus two Democratic, lawmakers have teamed up to introduce and co-sponsor the “AG and Legal Workforce Act,” which would replace what sponsors called the “outdated and broken H-2A agricultural guestworker program” with a new H-2C program. The move is intended to ensure that America’s farmers and ranchers have acce...

U.S. employers eye improvements to compensation programs Growing pressure to improve their pay-for-performance programs and ensure fair pay throughout the workplace is sparking changes to corporate America’s employee compensation and performance management programs, according to Willis Towers Watson’s  2018 Getting Compensation Right Survey . The survey revealed several factors are pro...

According to commenters, certain populations with specific needs, such as those with disabilities, could be disproportionately affected if their coverage does not include a robust level of benefits. Some of these commenters suggested that to mitigate these effects, the DOL should require AHPs to provide EHBs or some other minimum level of benefits, or require them to provide  “minimum value&...