By Eric B. Meyer
When offering respect in the workplace training for employees and supervisors, I emphasize that an employee who laughs at sex jokes in the workplace is the same employee who may later sue for sexual harassment.
Like Little Ladner did.
(Yes, Little Ladner)
Ms. Ladner used to work for a nursing home in Mississippi. In her Complaint against her former employer, she alleged a kitchen sink of classic sexual harassment: Read more…
By Howard Mavity
It’s not our fault — it’s their fault.
I’m not talking about kindergarten playtime or its “adult” equivalent — politics.
Any time multiple employers are involved, labor and employment matters becomes much more complicated. The classic example is a construction site. OSHA refers to such settings as “multi-employer worksites.” Read more…
Let’s be clear, the most useless HR activity is Performance Management. Hands down.
But since I have been an enthusiastic beater of that horse already, a close second has to be the Exit Interview.
Let’s review all of the reasons for their sacred cow status:
As HR and other leaders grapple with high turnover rates among the Gen Y/Millennial cohort (see last week’s post here), all kinds of issues get raised.
Is the turnover due to “special” characteristics inherent in Gen Y? Is the turnover due to lack of education and training opportunities? Naivete on the part of Millennials – the world of work doesn’t match their expectations? Could a lack of thoughtful onboarding play a part?
The Aberdeen Group published Onboarding 2013: A New Look at New Hires last month and author Madeline Laurano provides data that might help organizations become more effective in retaining the youngest of their workforce. Read more…
“Death by interview” is the harsh but unfortunately all-too accurate name that I give to the majority of corporate interview processes because of the way that they literally abuse candidates.
“Death by interview” is worth closer examination because harsh treatment during interviews impacts almost every working American, simply because each one of us is subjected to many interviews during our lifetime.
The hiring interview shares a love/hate status, where even though applicants initially hope to be granted an interview, once they are finally notified, they almost universally undergo a wave of stress and painful memories that causes them to stop looking forward to them. Read more…
The U.S. Department of Labor just cleared up a piece of the ambiguity lurking in your health care reform communication strategy!
You may remember that the DOL delayed the original deadline to send employees notification of the state exchanges. Well, the timing is now set: By October 1, 2013, you must tell all your employees about the state health care exchanges.
They’ve crafted a model notice to work from. All the details are here. Read more…
Editor’s Note: Sometimes, readers ask about past TLNT articles they may have missed. That’s why on Fridays we republish a Classic TLNT post some of you have asked about.
Occasionally, into each life, a little rain must fall.
In this case, the “rain” is an unhappy employee; this isn’t an “if,” it’s a “when” because, when you deal with employees, eventually someone will feel unheard, uncared for, or mistreated.
Should this unhappy employee ruin your day? Quite the contrary. If this person takes the time, energy, and effort to speak up and air their grievances – you owe them a huge debt of gratitude. Read more…
Your CEO doesn’t want you to be a human resources leader — they want you to be a business leader with human resources expertise.
While that may just seem like a clever turn of phrase, there’s a growing body of research that supports this concept and HR leaders would be well-served to heed the advice.
Consulting firm Schuster-Zingheim provides research and guidance for HR through direct interviews with CEOs, COOs, and CFOs on how the C-Suite expect HR professionals to align employees with their organization’s future. Read more…
The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) which helps individuals protect their right to privacy and prohibits an employer from impersonating an employee online when other employees are interacting across social media platforms.
Removed from this bill at the last minute was a provision that would have banned employers from asking job candidates and employees for their social media passwords.
Given the public sentiment on this issue, not to mention the media outcry, this omission is a big surprise to me. Kudos to Congress for not caving to public pressure on this one. Read more…
By Eric B. Meyer
“At your age, David, you hadn’t even thought about retiring?”
What could go wrong when the boss’s son asks that question of, David, a nearly-40-year employee? Oh, right, David got laid off a week later.
Age discrimination? Well, let’s see…
We know that when an employer inquires about an employee’s retirement plans — without bringing up age – it should be able to avoid liability. But, repeated inquiries about a plaintiff’s intention to retire could suggest an age-related impetus for his eventual firing. Read more…
“Great points Betsy - I love the thought about leveraging your past especially. Sometimes we hesitate because we don't know . . . ”
— Sheri Browning on A Few Workplace Lessons From the Failed Chase For the Triple Crown, 1 hour ago
“Is the title supposed to read "What's the No. 1 Worry for HR Execs?"”
— Concerned Reader on What’s the No. 1 Worry For HR Executives? Surprise! It’s a Talent Issue, 2 hours ago
“You're right! Coaching wouldn't have been my first pick but an important tool for sure. Consistent and meaningful recognition also . . . ”
— Elyssa Thome on Survey: Half of Companies Report Higher Turnover Than Last Year, 4 hours ago
“I would hope that if a computer took 5 mins to boot up, the employee could be doing something work-related . . . ”
— Felicia on Wages, Salaries & Overtime – Oh My! 4 Myths About Employee Pay, 4 hours ago
“Great analogy! I not obsessing over failures and missed opportunities is key. Learning and moving on is what's most important.”
— Marta Steele on A Few Workplace Lessons From the Failed Chase For the Triple Crown, 5 hours ago