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

HR Management

Motivate with clear instructions

05/27/2021
Your employees are ready to take on the tasks you assign, but they’ll do them better and more willingly if they’re confident in the instructions you give. One trick is to think about how instructions that seem clear to you might be misunderstood by your crew. Unfortunately, that can happen more easily than you think. Here are a few examples.

Male or female boss: Who do employees prefer?

05/26/2021
A new ResumeLab survey of 800 working Americans found that 38% of workers say they’d prefer to work for a female boss compared to 26% who would rather work for a male manager.

Don’t take it personally! How managers can avoid liability in employee lawsuits

05/26/2021
Understanding all the legal do’s and don’ts of managing employees can be difficult. And If employees (or ex-employees) decide to file a lawsuit, they can sometimes sue their managers directly in addition to suing the company. To reduce the possibility of personal liability, here are five important actions.

Most employers don’t yet have a return-to-work date

05/25/2021
One of the most pressing questions many employers across the country are asking is, “When will we bring our workers back to the office?” A new survey from outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas found just 17% of respondents are already back in the office and 58% have not yet set a date when they will return.

Drop mask rules or not: Questions, answers about new CDC guidance

05/25/2021
According to Centers for Disease Control guidance issued May 13, people who have been fully vaccinated against covid-19 no longer need to wear a mask or physically distance in any setting, except where otherwise required to by law or local business and workplace guidance. For employers, the guidance raised more questions than it provided answers.

Coronavirus and the Workplace

05/21/2021
Your guide to the coronavirus and HR.

COVID litigation: What HR can learn from the first wave of lawsuits

05/21/2021
Since the COVID pandemic struck last March, courts have been flooded with lawsuits. These lawsuits come in a wide variety of flavors, with each offering important lessons for employers who want to avoid becoming the next target. Here are some of the top litigation triggers to help you revamp your pandemic response.

COVID anxiety: What if workers don’t want to return?

05/21/2021
What do you do with an employee who insists on working from home after you recall people to in-person work?

Pandemic intensified worker substance abuse

05/21/2021
The number of employees reporting lower productivity or missed work due to substance abuse has “nearly doubled” since 2019, according to a new survey by Versta Research.

$136K COVID fine shows OSHA is in for the long haul

05/21/2021
In what appears to be the first company cited under OSHA’s new National Emphasis Program on COVID enforcement, a Massachusetts tax-prep company was hit with a $136,552 fine for, in part, prohibiting employees and customers from wearing face masks in the office during the statewide mask mandate last winter.