• The HR Specialist - Print Newsletter
  • HR Specialist: Employment Law
  • The HR Weekly

HR Management

Beware firing safety whistleblowers

01/02/2018

The Trump administration’s Department of Labor is aggressively going after employers that fire workers who report alleged workplace safety violations. It’s one reason to seek expert legal advice before disciplining any potential whistleblower—even for behavior or poor work performance that seems unrelated to any safety report.

Enforce rules fairly and even-handedly, document any differences in discipline

01/02/2018

Good employers discipline everyone who violates work rules, without regard for protected characteristics. That may seem obvious, but sometimes supervisors get sloppy and decide that a particular employee should be punished for a violation another employee got away with.

The HR I.Q. Test: January ’18

01/01/2018

Here’s your monthly quiz on HR news and trends.

The NLRB strikes back: 4 big pro-employer moves

12/18/2017
In a flurry of decisions in recent days, the National Labor Relations Board reversed years of pro-employee labor rulings that employers opposed. Business groups cheered the decisions, saying they’ll bring much-needed balance to employer-employee relationships. Three key decisions, rendered on Dec. 14 and 15, overturned a string of pro-worker, pro-union NLRB rulings. All were timed […]

Essentia Healthcare fires 50 staff for refusing flu shots

12/18/2017

Citing the risk to patients at its 15 hospitals and 75 clinics, Essentia required employees to get vaccinated or provide documentation substantiating medical or religious objections to the inoculations.

Under siege on social media? Choose words carefully when responding

12/18/2017

If an aggrieved employee launches a social media campaign against your organization, it can be hard to figure out how to respond. However, you can defend yourself. If it’s worded carefully, your response won’t add fuel to the legal fire that comes in the wake of an employee’s lawsuit.

Trade Fair Supermarkets owe $500k for safety violations

12/13/2017

OSHA is proposing a $505,929 fine against Trade Fair Supermarkets after investigators discovered workers had been exposed to health and safety hazards at three grocery stores in Queens.

Acme Parts agrees to get the lead out in Brooklyn

12/13/2017

Acme Parts, a Brooklyn company that manufactures brass products, has agreed to pay $40,000 in penalties after a 2016 OSHA inspection revealed high levels of lead throughout the facility.

Bad hires cost $15,000, plague 74% of employers

12/12/2017

According to a new CareerBuilder survey, companies last year lost an average of $14,900 every time they made a hiring mistake.

Little confidence in ability to elevate female leaders

12/12/2017

Only 28% of senior HR executives are satisfied with their organization’s ability to elevate women into leadership roles.