Training

Can you learn HR lessons from Washington? Yes, you can

08/31/2009

First, set aside the stereotype that the federal bureaucracy is inherently dysfunctional. Sure, it’s got plenty of faults. But Uncle Sam’s best-run agencies can actually teach private-sector employers a thing or two about HR. Here are eight lessons employers can learn from the biennial agency-by-agency ranking of federal employers:

Can we recoup training costs by withholding pay from an employee’s last paycheck?

08/26/2009

Q. We’ve started requiring employees to repay (through payroll deduction) training costs if they quit or are fired within one year. Are we OK legally?

How to silence 7 common employee gripes

08/25/2009

A recent study says that 40% of managers are considered “bad bosses” by their employees. Yet most managers assume that their relationships with their employees are running smoothly. Obviously, some of those bosses are wrong … and that can create major problems for a business. Here are seven common employee complaints about management, plus ways managers can silence them.

Growing HR legal risk: Training discrimination

08/20/2009

Employees are entitled to a workplace free of discrimination. That includes having equal access to training. In recent months, several lawsuits have been triggered because supervisors allegedly favored certain employees for training opportunities at the expense of other employees who belong to a protected category.

The 7 biggest triggers to age bias claims … and how to avoid them

08/20/2009

The ADEA makes it illegal to discriminate against people age 40 and older in hiring, terminations, pay, promotions, benefits and any other terms of employment. Here are the key areas where age bias claims typically pop up:

Preparing your workplace for a possible H1N1 flu pandemic

08/18/2009

This spring’s swine flu scare might have been just a warm-up act for a far more serious flu pandemic this fall. If you took steps to prepare your workplace for an outbreak in April, dust off those plans and check them against our list of things to do to make sure your organization keeps running in the coming months.

Chicago hotel to pay $90,000 to settle disability bias case

08/14/2009

Swissotel has entered into a settlement agreement after the EEOC alleged supervisors at the Swissotel Chicago harassed a developmentally disabled employee. According to the suit, hotel managers called the worker “retard” and ultimately fired him because of his disability.

Problem Solved: Real People … Real Comp & Benefits Solutions, Sept. ’09

08/11/2009

This month’s collection of real-world quick tips from American business leaders, brought to you by members of The Alternative Board.

Productivity plus: Retool with new Internet Explorer tricks

08/11/2009

Move over, Google. Microsoft grabs tech headlines this month by adding zippy new features to its Internet Explorer browser. Here are four cool tricks that will save time for you and your employees.

The best way to end hostile environment suits: Train bosses what to do when worker complains

07/24/2009

Some employees are more sensitive to potential sexual harassment than others. What some might disregard as innocent flirtation, others might consider an unwelcome come-on. Courts often throw out harassment suits that start that way, but why tempt fate—or spend time and money defending yourself?