If you ever wondered about the impact of clothes, read this.
I wear hoodies (a sweatshirt with a hood) because they are comfortable, and have they a built-in hat.
I wear sweater vests, because they soften my image…I think.
Archive
January 2016
By Rue Dooley
Sometimes, employers have to send hourly workers on trips, and then get all stupefied because they don’t know how to pay them. They either think that they have to pay them for 24 hours a day while traveling or that they can pay them the same amount they’d always paid them. Truth is both could be true depending on the circumstances.
Those are abnormal circumstances. Here’s what most employers need to know.
January 29, 2016
I and numerous other people have written about the “gig economy”, “free agent nation” or whatever you want to call it, numerous times. As we get into 2016, and 2020 is a mere four years away, the likelihood of there being a major shift in the direction of a high percentage of independent contractors seems less likely to me. Some estimates had 45% of the workforce being part of the gig economy.
January 29, 2016
With 2016 underway, the first order of business for many employers includes bracing ourselves for the looming rollout of the Department of Labor’s revised overtime regulations. Informed and responsible businesses are undertaking due diligence. Armed with employee rosters, job descriptions, and payroll data, we meet and discuss time studies, staffing patterns, budgets, and contract obligations.
January 28, 2016
By Rue Dooley
By show of hands, does your employer care about your work-life balance?
Okay, wait. I can’t see whether you’re showing your hand.
By commenting below, please indicate whether your employer encourages you to achieve and maintain work-life balance.
January 28, 2016
By Rue Dooley
“If we do it for one employee, we have to do it for all!”
This is not necessarily true!
Consistency is a good thing. Don’t get me wrong. Consistency is the right thing to do. Consistency supports equity and impartiality. Consistency reduces administrative mistakes. Consistency reduces administrative work in general. I’m all for consistency.
January 27, 2016
A round up of workplace developments and legal trends to help keep HR ahead of the curve
January 27, 2016
On January 27, @shrmnextchat chatted with SHRM editor Steve Miller (@SHRMsmiller) about Does Workplace Wellness Need a Checkup.
In case you missed this informative chat, you can read all the tweets here:
January 27, 2016
By Steve Browne
I don’t know if you’ve attended HR conferences or SHRM chapter meetings. I have a feeling that many HR pros want to do this, but they may have not gone to them . . . yet. There may be great reasons that you haven’t taken this step yet, but I want to challenge this (and some other things.)
January 27, 2016
Once upon a time, I had a chance to work with a vendor with a really cool product that enabled you to measure the culture of your organization (they’re called RoundPegg – look them up, as they are awesome). At one point in the process, we had an option to decide to test the entire company and get a true measure of our culture, or handpick people we felt “represented” our culture. This was kind of a big deal, especially given where I was working at the time.
January 27, 2016
Creating workplace traditions that stand the test of time
What will your employees say about their career experience years from now? Will they sit with friends and reminisce about exciting projects and notable accomplishments, or will they talk of seemingly endless hours that rolled into years of drudgery? Chances are good that if the friends are reminiscing with were co-workers, the conversation will be positive and upbeat.
January 26, 2016
By Jim Reidy
Using that Loss to Help Assess and Manage Your Risk with Potential Workplace Claims
January 25, 2016
Hello and Happy New Year! You may have heard that the SHRM 2016 Annual Conference & Exposition is in Washington, D.C. this year. For many of you, this will come as no surprise but this meeting is my favorite time of year. The reason for that is plain and simple--There is no bigger learning, sharing, and developmental event in HR than #SHRM16. I encourage everyone to see what #SHRM16 and the future of HR are all about
January 25, 2016
Over the past five years, workplace wellness programs have spiked in popularity and have become a popular way for employers to curb rising health care costs, while helping workers live healthier lives and be more productive.
January 25, 2016
By Rue Dooley
The winter season, especially when it snows, uncovers certain familiar things, like snow blowers, snow shovels, gravel-like salt, muscle strain, power outages, and questions about the effects of inclement weather on pay.
One common question managers have after a heavy snowfall goes like this.
“If we close due to bad weather conditions, and employees cannot get to work, do we have to pay them?”
January 25, 2016
By Rue Dooley
People are funny.
Here’s an example of a common question and the funny corresponding uncommon exchange.
Client: “Rue, if there is a state law and a federal law, how do I know which one applies to us?”
Me: “Both apply.”
Client: “Well which one do I comply with?”
Me: “You must comply with both.”
Client: “How can I comply with two laws at the same time?”
January 23, 2016
By Rue Dooley
Most frequently, we draw firm conclusions about people based solely on what our experience has taught us. While that is normal and often reasonable, what we see is not always what we get.
January 21, 2016
On January 20, @shrmnextchat chatted with SHRM Manager of Workforce Analytics and Research John Dooney (@shrmanalytics) about How Organizational Size Affects HR and Metrics.
In case you missed this informative chat, you can read all the tweets here:
January 20, 2016
I recently attended a meeting of senior HR executives that was hosted by a large company headquartered outside of Boston. During the meeting, the company’s chief human resource officer shared her experience working with a new CEO who was focused on transforming the corporate culture. The company works in an industry that demands constant innovation, and the CEO is determined to enhance the organization’s capacity to innovate by reducing layers of management and making the company more nimble.
January 20, 2016
The HR profession is a great place to be right now. Not only are HR professionals in high demand—with HR generalists at the top of the list in 2015—but Business Insider named human resources manager as one of “the 19 hottest jobs for 2016.”
January 19, 2016
One of my favorite quotes is by celebrity chef Alton Brown, "Organization will set you free." I know he’s referring to being organized in the kitchen, but I think it also applies to our personal and professional lives. And I’m reminded of it every January because I’m starting a new year with my calendar/planner.
January 19, 2016
By Rue Dooley
True story!
A good friend of mine was a managing a finance department in a large pharmaceutical company and had two Latina employees in her department who used to communicate with each other in Spanish.
My finance-manager friend, slightly older and a bit more educated than these two employees of hers, called me to ask if she could MANDATE that they speak in English - and only English - while at work!
January 18, 2016
There is nothing that I or anyone else can say that captures Dr. King’s words.
So, please watch this and remember that, while we have made progress, we have a long way to go:
Follow me on Twitter at: Jonathan__HR__Law.
January 18, 2016
By Rue Dooley
Sorry folks. That title is misleading. I did that to get your attention.
I also did it to explain a misconception.
Many employers are convinced that by electing to pay an employee a salary, they can actually eliminate their burden of overtime pay. That is flatly wrong. Wrong like “Cheech and Kong.”
Sometimes, non-exempt employees – employees who must be paid overtime – are paid salaries. They still have to get OT.
January 15, 2016
January 15, 2016
By Amy Thompson
Raising awareness about the HR profession is one of SHRM’s most abiding missions. What better way to accomplish this than during the quadrennial contest that captivates the nation and produces the president of the United States?
January 14, 2016
It's 2016 and we're still claiming a very small portion of the workforce cares about their job. Gallup has been banging the drum of global disengagement since 2011. The most recent claim that only 3 in 10 people can actually tolerate their job and 2 in 10 hate their job.
January 14, 2016
By Joe Coombs
The Seattle metro region spans three counties in northwest Washington, and technology and aerospace are its dominant industries. In Seattle’s home of King County alone, there are nearly 500 companies and more than 45,000 employees that belong to the aerospace sector.
January 14, 2016
By Joe Abusamra
Over the next few years, the aging population will lead to a 'retirement tsunami', with millions of baby boomers leaving the workforce within two decades. In Australia, the ratio of employed persons to retirees will be cut almost in half, falling from 5 to 2.5 workers for every retired individual, according to Treasury data. In the US, "baby boomers in a big lump are leaving the labor force," according to Andrew Chamberlain, chief economist at Glassdoor. In short, there won't be enough new talent entering the workforce to keep up with those leaving it.
January 14, 2016
On January 13, @shrmnextchat chatted with Paul Hebert @IncentIntel about "The Long Now of Employee Engagement."
In case you missed this amazing chat, you can view all the tweets here:
January 13, 2016
A round up of workplace developments and legal trends to help keep HR ahead of the curve
It’s another new year in the HR universe and with every passing year, change is to be expected. People make resolutions, companies pivot and balance sheets get a new lease on life. 2016 is no different, but what will that change look like in the workplace this year? If the last two weeks are any indication, it’s sure to be a pretty interesting year.
January 13, 2016
By Steve Browne
The calendar has turned which is always exciting !! I’m really geeked about this year because it is also a Presidential election year. This post isn’t about one candidate or another because I think everyone should make their own choice for who they support. It’s unique this year because we have those vying for their party’s nomination and they are either polarizing or nominal. But it’s January. I’m sure many things will change before November comes !!
January 12, 2016
As we start the new year, most HR professionals will agree that employee engagement is one of their most pressing priorities because it affects their organization’s ability to produce, compete and survive. Many will admit that their employee engagement scores are at all-time lows and that they’re still trying to figure out a plan that will effectively combat the malaise that lurks beneath the images of the smiling employees on their company’s careers site.
January 11, 2016
Advocate: it’s a noun and a verb. And we are going to need both in 2016. HR advocates need to advocate for shaping public policy. There are many predictions for what the year will bring. This is just one more list focused on HR and employment issues that may be coming to your town soon if they have not arrived already.
Consider just a few snippets of data related to increasing employment mandates.
January 11, 2016
January 11, 2016
By Mike Aitken
2015 was indeed a banner year for HR advocacy, and we’re certain that 2016 will be just as active, if not more so, due to the fact that it’s a presidential election year and there are a number of workplace regulatory actions that will be advanced by the Obama administration in the coming months. Below are the items that make up the Top 10 accomplishments for SHRM HR advocacy in 2015:
January 8, 2016
By Joe Coombs
New projections from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) show that the labor force is getting older and that job creation will slow in the near future. The demographic shift will result in a lower rate of participation in the labor force overall and, in turn, fewer employment opportunities will mean increased competition among those already struggling to find new jobs.
January 8, 2016
By Diane Fennig
“There are years that ask questions and years that answer.” --Zora Heale Hurston
January 7, 2016
On January 6, @shrmnextchat kicked off a new year of #Nextchat with special guest Steve Browne chatting about HR New Year's Resolutions.
If you missed this amazing chat filled with great ideas and advice for HR professionals as they start the new year, you can see all the great tweets here:
January 6, 2016
By Lisa Horn
Sixteen years ago, in my role as a congressional staffer, I had the opportunity to attend President Bill Clinton’s final State of the Union (SOTU) address before a Joint Session of Congress.
While I had tuned into plenty of SOTU addresses before, it was an entirely different experience being in the House Chamber and witnessing the pomp and circumstance of this tradition that dates back to 1790. Definitely an experience I will never forget.
January 6, 2016
By: Fred Hughes, Member of the Society for Human Resource Management
While the premise of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was to assist American employees with gaining health care coverage by defining full-time employment as working an average of 30 hours a week, it has actually hurt the people it intended to help.
January 6, 2016
It’s a new year and another chance to make personal and professional resolutions that will affect positive change in your life and in the lives of those around you.
January 5, 2016
By Dan Ryan
We live in a world of distraction. Some would say that we have access to more information than ever before, and they would be correct. I would add that we also have to deal with more distraction and "noise" than ever before. How does one keep their focus and not get distracted down the dead-end trails of distraction? On some days I find myself heading down one rabbit trail after another because by nature I have a wide variety of interests.
January 5, 2016
As we all know, in EEO termination claims, how we treat the "comparators" is critical. Two (2) key questions:
1. Did you let anyone else go for a same or similar reason?
2. Did you not let someone else go even though they had engaged in same or similar conduct?
What do you do if you have an inconsistent practice historically?
January 5, 2016
A version of this post was published at this time last year. Since the year 2030 is now a year closer I thought I would republish this in order to get you thinking ahead. The next 15 years will go faster than you think and some of these predictions may come to be prior to 2030. This is an opportunity to be proactive.
2030
January 1, 2016