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HR Management

Cloud over working mothers in Sunshine State

08/06/2010
Forbes magazine has just published its list of the best cities in the United States for working mothers. Florida fared poorly, largely because of low rankings for three of the state’s largest metro areas: Jacksonville, Miami-Fort Lauderdale and Orlando.

Waiver in handbook prevents contract formation

08/06/2010
Make sure your employee handbook includes a disclaimer specifying that the handbook is not a contract. Then have employees sign that disclaimer, acknowledging that they’ve read it. That way, you won’t accidentally create an employment contract.

4 tips for getting max ROI from salary surveys

08/05/2010
When reviewing salary surveys to determine fair pay rates for your employees, follow these tips from Beverly Dance, founder of Dance Consultancy, who spoke at the recent SHRM annual conference in San Diego:

Employers: Schedule a health reform checkup

08/04/2010
Health plan decisions that employers will be forced to make in a few years—such as whether to keep coverage or drop it and pay a fine—will be influenced by decisions you’ll make this year and next, says Michael Aitken, SHRM’s director of government affairs. “It might be a wise investment right now to sit down and do some modeling.”

How to safely handle calls for references, recommendations

08/03/2010

The unemployment rate has been hovering between 9% and 10% for more than a year. Some of those unemployed people probably once worked for you—and they would probably love to list you as a reference. That means it’s time to make sure you have policies on how to handle reference-check calls.

8 ways to trigger wellness participation

08/03/2010
Many factors determine whether workers use their health and wellness benefits—everything from incentives you offer to how much staff trusts management to whether employees tell their spouses when they’re sick. Here are eight tips to trigger employee participation in wellness programs.

Grass getting greener: 7 tips for post-recession recruiting

08/03/2010

As the economy turns the corner, more employees are looking over the fence to see if the grass is greener elsewhere. “For the first time since 2008, we’re seeing more people quitting than being laid off,” Jamie Minier, president of The Right Thing recruiting firm, says. “Employers need to be thinking now about how to create a strategy to recruit.”

What’s our legal defense? Working here would be dangerous for ill applicant

08/02/2010
Q. When a job applicant took a post-offer physical, he learned he has hepatitis C. The position he is seeking at our oil refinery would expose him to chemicals that could be harmful to his liver. If we refuse to hire him and he alleges disability discrimination, will we be able to utilize the “direct threat” defense?

Records retention: Know what to keep, what’s safe to toss

08/02/2010
If there’s one thing all HR pros share, it’s probably a love/hate relationship with paper and paperwork. You know you need good records, but you also need to get rid of them periodically. That’s what a records-retention schedule will help you do.

HR’s goal should not be to make employees happy

08/02/2010

“Great leaders and great HR leaders make their people feel uncomfortable,” says HR consultant Peter Barron Stark. “If you want to make people happy, be a clown.” That doesn’t mean HR shouldn’t try to create a positive, enjoyable environment. But a leader’s role is to push employees outside their comfort zones.