If you are confronting implementation of the Affordable Care Act (aka: ACA/Obamacare), you know how confusing the law is. Just to add to your perplexities, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) filed three suits against different employers over their wellness programs. The lawsuits not only threaten employers, but also threaten the support of the most… Read more »
Category: HR and Hiring Best Practices
Millennials: Another Stereotype Shattered?
You’d think that five decades after the civil rights movement people would have rejected stereotyping anyone, but alas that’s not the case. One of the more recent targets of gross labeling are the millennials, or those born roughly during the last two decades of the twentieth century and the early years of the 21st. The… Read more »
FIRE!! Is your extinguisher training current?
Anyone who has needed to use a fire extinguisher will agree that when the need arises there is no better friend. Extinguishers have saved countless lives and untold amounts of property from damage. In most workplaces they are thought of about as much as the paint trim. However, employers need to pay attention to what… Read more »
High There?
This election cycle added two more states and the District of Columbia to the list of those easing laws regarding the recreational use of marijuana. This is an unmistakable trend that began with the acceptance of medical use and is now moving towards outright legalization. California has long tolerated marijuana use and it seems likely… Read more »
Wage and Hour Violations are No Joke
The federal Department of Labor and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission are becoming more aggressive in actions against employers running afoul of Wage and Hour Laws. While the laws have provisions for imprisonment for violators until recently that was a rarely employed avenue of enforcement. Things appear to be changing. This article cites two cases where… Read more »
Skills Gap Part 2
Another angle on the skills gap is on the hiring side. A recent survey by Mindflash, reported here, found Americans both employed and not, agreed that employers are not doing enough. 41% of respondents said they didn’t have any training in areas like management or product knowledge in the past 2 years. For some time… Read more »
A Suggestion for Employers…
Very often when a company decides to use temps there is a short term problem that needs an immediate solution. Because employers are focused on solving the problem, there is a tendency to bring in the temporary employee more hastily than they would a regular hire. Of course many of the formalities of hiring are… Read more »
EEOC Can Email Employees
A recent court decision gives the green light to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to email employees to see if they have ever felt discriminated against in the workplace. The case involved a company who had come under scrutiny by the EEOC. The Commission had made numerous requests for information during the nine months of… Read more »
Ebola and Employers
The latest media panic over the very serious matter of Ebola Virus Disease has implications for employers. Ebola is not to be taken lightly, but neither should we join those in the media metaphorically running around theirs desks, flailing their arms, and shrieking in hysteria. Here are two articles examining risks and precautions from a… Read more »
EEOC Takes Aim at Personality Tests
At least since the mid 1970s personality tests have been powerful enough to reveal things like the deepest personal needs of subjects undergoing testing. Once computer testing became available, sophisticated cross checks included in the questionnaire coupled with measurements of the time it takes the subject to answer, enabled testers to see indications of deception… Read more »