HR Management

IHOP owners flipped, harassment onus didn’t

10/12/2010

Flipmeastack, an Illinois franchisee for the International House of Pancakes restaurant chain, will have to implement sexual harassment training and pay out $105,000 following a federal judge’s decision. The decision upheld an earlier jury award to two teenage employees at the franchisee’s Racine, Wis., location.

How to sell HR budgets to CFOs

10/12/2010

If your organization’s fiscal calendar works like many others, you’re right in the middle of the busiest time of the year. It’s budget season! While you’re reviewing past expenditures and making projections for 2011, don’t forget to factor in one of the most crucial aspects of the budget process: Convincing your chief financial officer to back your HR budget proposal.

Outsourcing, recession make HR-to-staff ratios less precise

10/11/2010

While there is no “correct” HR-to-staff ratio, one HR professional per 100 employees is a generally accepted starting point. But HR-to-staff ratios have become less precise—and harder to interpret—due to the economic downturn, layoffs and the continued growth of outsourcing. Still worth measuring?

Social media: The 7 elements of a legally smart company policy

10/08/2010

Social media can help you collect industry-based knowledge, reach new customers and build your brand. But those benefits come with their fair share of legal risks. You need a comprehensive social media policy to guide employees on your expectations about their online behavior, especially when that conduct occurs in the name of the organization.

Adult children and health insurance: Know the new law’s intricacies

10/07/2010

The new Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act significantly changes the health care landscape for many employers. Some aspects of the law took effect in September 2010. Most significantly, employees’ children are eligible for coverage until age 26. The new coverage requirement affects all plans renewing on or after Sept. 23, 2010.

The upside of a down economy: On-the-job fatalities declined by 17% in past year

10/06/2010

The 4,340 fatalities recorded in U.S. workplaces in 2009 was 17% below the 2008 count of 5,214. But the Bureau of Labor Statistics says the drop is mostly attributable to high unemployment and, more specifically, layoffs in construction and mining.

Can we be liable for religious bias if we require a job applicant to cut his hair?

10/04/2010

Q. Our company requires male employees to keep their hair short. However, a recent applicant has stated that his religion doesn’t allow him to cut his hair. Will requiring him to cut his hair to get the job violate federal law?

Approach diversity with head, heart and wallet

10/01/2010

Organizations typically approach diversity from three perspectives: with their heads, with their hearts or with their wallets. When you see a diversity effort that failed, or just didn’t deliver the intended results, it’s usually because that organization approached the effort from just one of those mindsets.

With Cyber Monday looming, it’s time to reinforce your Internet policy

10/01/2010

The day after Thanksgiving has come to be known as Black Friday, when hordes descend on malls to get a jump on holiday shopping. It will be followed by Cyber Monday, the day when office workers nationwide clog company servers with a frenzy of online holiday shopping. So now’s a good time remind employees of your Internet usage policy. A good policy emphasizes that …

Remind bosses: Ignoring safety may mean direct liability

09/24/2010

Employees who are hurt—or families of those killed on the job—generally must be content with the payments they’re eligible to receive under the New Jersey workers’ compensation law. There is an exception, however. If an employer knows that a safety hazard exists that will injure or kill an employee and harm results, the harmed parties may go after the employer.