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HR Management

Being good at your job isn’t good enough — 4 smart ways to become indispensible

02/23/2010

It’s a myth that good work makes a good career—rather, good office politics makes a good career, says career columnist Penelope Trunk. Here’s are four common-sense rules to follow. They’ll make people want to work with you, and boost your credibility and influence in the process.

Unhappy campers: Job satisfaction lowest in decades

02/22/2010

Only 45% of the 5,000 working adults surveyed by The Conference Board say they are satisfied with their current jobs. That’s the lowest level recorded, down from 52% in 2005, 58% in 1995 and 61% in 1987, the year of the inaugural survey.

Form a benefits users group to help make better decisions

02/22/2010

Balancing the annual benefits budget is one of your most important tasks. Why go it alone? Get employees involved in the process of deciding which benefits to keep and which to ditch. Your best bet for engaging employees: Convene a team of workers to serve as a benefits users group. They can serve as a sounding board for employee concerns, and help you make benefits choices that will be widely accepted by other employees.

OSHA loses patience, Freehold executive loses car

02/22/2010

When OSHA said it had received an anonymous complaint about safety conditions at one of Brocon Petroleum’s work sites, executives there had a pretty good idea who made the call. So the Freehold-based company fired the employee. OSHA did not take it well …

Fed contractors will have to post ‘right to unionize’ notice

02/16/2010

New regulations will require organizations with federal contracts worth $100,000 or more to post a notice outlining employee rights to organize and stating the federal government’s policy encouraging union membership. For more information, visit www.dol.gov/olms.

How much should I worry about employees using social networking sites?

02/16/2010

Q. I heard that Facebook use is really picking up, but I don’t think most of our employees are that tech-savvy. Should I be concerned about my employees accessing social networking sites while at work?

Labor alert! The NLRA can apply to nonunion employers, too

02/16/2010

You’re probably familiar with the legislative fight brewing over the proposed Employee Free Choice Act. That debate has spotlighted a fact many employers don’t realize: Nonunion employers must comply with requirements of the National Labor Relations Act. To help you comply, here are the major traps to watch for.

May we conduct locker searches even if employees use personal locks?

02/12/2010

Q. Lately we have been concerned about workplace theft—both of our property and that of our employees. We would like to search our employees’ lockers, each of which is secured with a worker’s own lock. Is this legal? Do we need the employees’ consent?

Don’t cry! Babies at work easier than you think

02/10/2010

Even as the economy forces some organizations to cut benefits, it’s prompting others to add one: allowing parents to bring their babies to work. In just two years, the number of organizations with a babies-at-work benefit has more than doubled to 130, says Carla Moquin, founder and president of the Parenting in the Workplace Institute. She advises managers to start small and to create a formal policy full of “safety valves.” Here are 10 keys to success:

When EEOC is involved, prepare to give up cash, much more

02/09/2010

The Bahama Breeze restaurant chain has settled racial harassment charges with the EEOC for $1.26 million. According to an EEOC complaint, black employees at the chain’s Beachwood location were regularly subjected to racial epithets, mockery and ongoing harassment.