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Jan 22, 2020
The Virginia Department of Labor and Industry has clarified that the requirement to provide employees with a detailed, written statement for each regular pay date applies to all employees, regardless of whether they are exempt or nonexempt. Here's what the new law entails.
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Jan 22, 2020
In Family and Medical Leave (FMLA) designation notices or in correspondence approving FMLA leave, employers often state that intermittent leave is being approved through a specific date. But doing so can unnecessarily cause problems with FMLA abuse.
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Jan 22, 2020
Now that we know that the Kansas City Chiefs will be playing the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV in a few weeks, it's time to assess whether this annual American tradition will create any workplace issues for your organization.
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Jan 21, 2020
?Have questions about recertifying your SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP? In every issue, the SHRM Certification team will answer some of the frequently asked questions they receive from credential-holders. This week they answer questions on volunteering using consulting work, writing and volunteering.
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Jan 21, 2020
Archana Remane Dhore, CPA, SHRM-CP, is chief financial officer at a technology and cybersecurity company who oversees all aspects of financial management plus human capital and training services. We asked Dhore about her combined expertise in finance and HR and how her dual professional certifications contribute to her professional success.
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Jan 21, 2020
How do you, as a manager or employee, select the most-effective development activities in a world of so many choices? Engaging in the right activities is essential for successful development. It is important to consider a variety of developmental activities, depending on the organizational resources available, individual learning styles and the HR competencies to be developed.
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Jan 21, 2020
HR is uniquely situated to help organizations with strategic planning because successful strategic plans depend on effective human resource allocation. HR can help identify and clarify the company mission, long-term goals and tactics to achieve these goals. After the plan is written, HR is in an optimal position to ensure follow-up and follow-through in plan implementation. For HR professionals wishing to provide this valuable service to their organization, here are some steps to follow.
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Jan 21, 2020
Companies that want to recruit working mothers, as well as retain their talented women employees, are taking significant steps to support women and their spouses or partners following maternity leave. They are offering more paid leave, allowing flexible work and keeping the lines of communication open.
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Jan 21, 2020
On Jan. 6, the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development issued long-awaited regulations regarding enforcement of the state's sick leave law as well as its responses to comments about the initially proposed regulations.
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Jan 21, 2020
?Women made up a slightly larger share of nonfarm payroll employment than men in December—the first time in 10 years, according to the latest U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics. The BLS data measures the number of men and women on employers' payroll, and does not include those in the workforce who perform contract work or are self-employed.
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Jan 21, 2020
The U.S. Supreme Court justices won't fast-track their decision on whether to review a ruling that the Affordable Care Act's (ACA's) individual mandate is unconstitutional.
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Jan 21, 2020
?Delta Air Lines employees will receive profit-sharing bonuses next month equivalent to an additional two months' pay, the company announced Jan. 21. Every eligible employee will get a check next month for 16.6 percent of their annual salary. The only workers excluded from the profit-sharing plan, CNN reported, are the company's officers, directors and general managers; they will, however, be paid performance-based bonuses.
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Jan 21, 2020
?Delta Air Lines employees will receive profit-sharing bonuses next month equivalent to an additional two months' pay, the company announced Jan. 21. Every eligible employee will get a check next month for 16.6 percent of their annual salary. The only workers excluded from the profit-sharing plan, CNN reported, are the company's officers, directors and general managers; they will, however, be paid performance-based bonuses.
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Jan 21, 2020
It's hard to argue that adopting healthy habits is a bad thing for anyone. The question for organizations, though, is more complex: Do their wellness programs, including the time that employees are allowed to spend engaged in various activities on the company's dime, provide tangible payback that improves an employer's competitiveness?
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Jan 21, 2020
While the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) provides protected leave to eligible employees so they may care for a family member with a serious health condition, it does not provide protection for employees to simply evaluate the medical condition of a family member, according to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.
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Jan 21, 2020
A fired employee who was inattentive at a training class failed to show that his political affiliation was a motivating factor in his firing, ruled the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
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Jan 21, 2020
The U.S. Supreme Court announced that it will review whether the Trump administration lawfully exempted religious objectors from Affordable Care Act (ACA) regulations requiring health plans to include contraceptive coverage.
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Jan 21, 2020
Have you ever been confronted by an interviewer who has never been trained in the skills of employee selection? They could be a junior or senior staff member or line manager or—embarrassing but true—a senior HR professional. Columnist Martin Yate gives advice on how to recognize them and turn what could be an awful job interview to your advantage.
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Jan 17, 2020
Lawmakers have begun considering solutions to worries arising from the growing adoption of automation technologies and the potentially tremendous changes the "future of work" has in store for U.S. workers.
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Jan 17, 2020
Tax season means it's time for HR departments to advise employees to review their paycheck withholding and consider increasing their contributions to tax-advantaged retirement accounts, tax advisors say. They can also direct eligible employees to the IRS Free File program, among other pertinent tax-time tips.
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Jan 17, 2020
The number of older employees in the Irish workforce has doubled in the last 20 years, making it more likely that a workplace will have a more age-diverse workforce.
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Jan 17, 2020
?Feb. 16 is the deadline for companies with multi-line telephone systems installed or manufactured after February 2020 to comply with a new Federal Communications Commission regulation.
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Jan 16, 2020
Employers have been grappling with confusing marijuana laws for years—and the rules are getting tougher to navigate as more states add employment protections. Here's what employers need to know about the changing landscape for weed and the workplace in the year ahead.
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Jan 16, 2020
Proponents of global trade had a good week: The Senate passed the United States-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement (USMCA) on Jan. 16 by a vote of 89-10, and the U.S. and China entered a trade deal on Jan. 15.
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Jan 16, 2020
The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments Jan. 13 in a case involving when plaintiffs may sue pension plans for violations of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act.
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Jan 16, 2020
CNN reached the largest settlement ever with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) on Jan. 10, agreeing to pay $76 million after the network ended the contracts of unionized camera operators in 2003.
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Jan 16, 2020
?The U.S. House of Representatives on Jan. 15 passed by a vote of 261 to 155 the Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act (POWADA), which would permit plaintiffs to sue for age discrimination even if age was not the sole cause of the challenged employment decision.
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Jan 16, 2020
Do you want people to pay attention when you present HR data? Do you want to motivate leadership to act on those findings? Try telling a story.
"Stories resonate and stick with your audience in ways that data alone does not," said data visualization expert Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic, founder and CEO of Storytelling with Data, a Milwaukee-based consultancy dedicated to communicating better with data.
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Jan 15, 2020
Medical and recreational marijuana use are more socially acceptable than ever, and states are legalizing use of the drug at a rapid pace. So should employers even bother testing for weed anymore?
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Jan 15, 2020
You decided to screen workers for drug use because you want to maintain a safe and productive workplace. But what should you do when workers flunk the test? Should employees be fired, given another chance or referred to an employee assistance program? Here's what employment attorneys said.
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Jan 15, 2020
Employers must provide a safe work environment, and they want to ensure their employees are productive, but is maintaining a drug-testing program in furtherance of these goals worth the hassle? The answer may depend on the workplace.
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Jan 15, 2020
The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments Jan. 15 in Babb v. Wilkie, a case that asks what standard of proof applies to a federal government worker's Age Discrimination in Employment Act claim.
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Jan 15, 2020
Many pregnant workers would be entitled to receive a reasonable accommodation under a bipartisan bill that the U.S. House of Representatives Education and Labor Committee approved in a 29-17 vote on Jan. 14.
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Jan 15, 2020
?Whether presented at family meals, holiday get-togethers, restaurants or coffee shops, food has the rare power to bring people together in myriad ways. Companies are serving communal meals to build community in their workforces.
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Jan 15, 2020
The U.S. Supreme Court has sent a case brought by IBM employees who participated in the company's retirement plan back to the appeals court. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals must decide whether to hear new arguments that weren't raised until the case was presented to the Supreme Court.
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Jan 15, 2020
At the Society for Human Resource Management People Analytics conference on Jan. 14, keynote speaker Jack Phillips, CEO and co-founder of the International Institute for Analytics, said HR is key tobusinesses' success in winning with data, from sourcing the necessary talent and applying analytics to HR functions to leading change management to adopt a data-driven mindset across the organization.
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Jan 14, 2020
As the year ended, HR wrapped up another open enrollment season. Before moving on, however, standing back and reviewing what went smoothly and what tripped you up can ensure an easier, more effective process when next fall rolls around.
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Jan 14, 2020
A new year inevitably brings new workplace laws, whether at the federal, state or local level. So January is usually a good time for HR professionals to review their employee handbook and make changes. Here are some of the hot topics for 2020.
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Jan 14, 2020
Extending paid time off (PTO) for family caregiving is one way that leading-edge companies are revamping rewards packages outside of wage increases.
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Jan 14, 2020
Unlimited paid time off (PTO) offers advantages for workers and employers, but it isn't the best option for every organization. It pays to learn the pros and cons of unlimited and limited PTO before revising workplace policies.
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Jan 14, 2020
Employers must evaluate respiratory hazards at their workplace whenever the potential exists for employees to be overexposed to contaminants, according to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
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Jan 14, 2020
A company did not violate the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) when it refused to hire an applicant whose obesity presented an unacceptably high risk that he would develop an incapacitating condition, the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled.
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Jan 14, 2020
Here are five key areas where you might consider extra measures to protect workers in the United Kingdom over the winter.
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Jan 14, 2020
As of Jan. 1, the much-anticipated amendments to South Africa's Basic Conditions of Employment Act regarding the provisions of parental, adoption and commissioning parental leave have commenced.
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Jan 13, 2020
The representation of women as speakers and panelists at conferences and summits is low across most industries and types of gatherings, according to an analysis of more than 60,000 event speakers from 2013 to 2018. Women made up just under a third of speakers at events during those years.
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Jan 13, 2020
An employee who was discharged because a benefits coordinator mistakenly believed he was totally disabled and unable to work could proceed with his claim of disability discrimination, a California appeals court ruled.
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Jan 13, 2020
A hazardous waste treatment plant employee could not bring a court action for damages against his former employer for injuries he claimed he sustained due to workplace lead exposure, a California appeals court ruled. The employee was limited to remedies available through the workers' compensation system.
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Jan 13, 2020
?Starbucks has launched an app to help its employees improve their mental health and deal with anxiety and stress. Every year, one in five U.S. adults experience mental illness and one in 25 experience serious mental illness, according to the National Alliance on Mental Health. And more people are killing themselves in the workplace, according to the Washington Post.
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Jan 13, 2020
Whistle-blowers who expose violations of European Union (EU) law are protected from retaliation under the terms of a directive adopted by the Council of the EU.
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Jan 13, 2020
Whistleblowers who expose violations of European Union (EU) law are protected from retaliation under the terms of a directive adopted by the Council of the EU.
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Jan 13, 2020
The U.S. Supreme Court will review an 8th Circuit ruling that the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) restricts states' ability to regulate how pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) set drug prices paid by pharmacies and, ultimately, by consumers. More than 30 states contend that the state laws in question help to tamp down prescription drug costs by making the relationships between pharmacies, PBMs and consumers more transparent.
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Jan 13, 2020
The U.S. Department of Labor announced a final rule narrowing the definition of "joint employer" under the Fair Labor Standards Act and providing clarity to businesses about franchise and contractor relationships.
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Jan 12, 2020
After much anticipation and trepidation, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) went into effect on Jan. 1, 2020. Many companies are understandably still grappling with the details of the law, the amendments and the proposed regulations and how to comply with them.
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Jan 12, 2020
Many organizations take a team-based approach to hiring and for good reason. Gaining perspectives about job candidates from their potential co-workers can help avoid bias and blind spots. But it's rare for the non-HR employees participating in these panels to actually have experience in, or aptitude for, the interview process.
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Jan 12, 2020
Richard Fischer, Ph.D., a psychometric and instructional systems expert and former director of testing operations for the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP), talked to SHRM Online about common misconceptions surrounding the Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures.
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Jan 12, 2020
California's AB 51, which attempts to ban certain mandatory arbitration agreements, was scheduled to go into effect on Jan. 1. However, a federal court issued a last-minute temporary restraining order blocking the law.
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Jan 12, 2020
A powerful interviewing technique that gives hiring managers better insight into candidates' potential on-the-job performance—known as "behavioral interviewing—has become an integral part of almost every job interview today. This approach is based on the reasonable assumption that your past behavior in given situations is a good predictor of your future performance. Columnist Martin Yate gives advice on how to prepare for behavioral interview questions.
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Jan 12, 2020
For workplaces that can't or aren't ready to allow pets at work, therapy dogs that visit from time to time might be an alternative. Therapy dogs can provide a morale boost for workers with demanding jobs or who are experiencing stress.
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Jan 12, 2020
When employers post an open job, they often grapple with the question of whether to hire from within or seek expertise from outside the company. While many choose to offer current employees a shot at newly created or vacant jobs, sometimes internal candidates aren't selected—for valid reasons. When this happens, though, it raises the risk that internal candidates will be disheartened and disengaged.
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Jan 10, 2020
Verbal aikido--based on the martial art that teaches you to channel an attacker's energy away from you--can keep you centered when someone challenges or provokes you. Here's how to deflect but not avoid a confrontation.
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Jan 10, 2020
?For all the hype about foosball and free beer in the office, by far, U.S. workers prefer productivity over play when it comes to workplace perks. That's one of the overarching takeaways from new research by co-working company Hana and architecture firm Gensler.
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Jan 10, 2020
Columnist Jathan Janove describes a somewhat fictional employer that had a real diversity and inclusion problem. This anecdote, based on real-life experiences, shows how important it is to fix gender inequity--and not let the effort go.
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Jan 10, 2020
In one of three recent opinion letters, the Department of Labor (DOL) explained how to calculate overtime pay for bonuses given for the completion of training over a period longer than one workweek.
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Jan 10, 2020
?A county employee who developed medical symptoms that seemed to be caused by her office environment was qualified for disability retirement after her employer denied her request to work at a different location, a California appellate court ruled.
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Jan 10, 2020
An employee who missed a week of work after leaving voicemails with his supervisor and the business co-owner about his father's health crisis was deemed to have given adequate notice of intent to take leave under the Family Medical and Leave Act (FMLA), even without specifically asking for or receiving authoriuzation to take FMLA leave.
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Jan 10, 2020
An employee who missed a week of work after leaving voicemails with his supervisor and the business co-owner about his father's health crisis was deemed to have given adequate notice of intent to take leave under the Family Medical and Leave Act (FMLA), even without specifically asking for or receiving authoriuzation to take FMLA leave.
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Jan 10, 2020
U.S. employers added 145,000 new jobs in December, according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics report, reflecting solid job gains. Unemployment held at 3.5 percent, a 50-year low.
With an average of 180,000 new jobs being added each month in 2019, job growth lagged behind the 2018 average but was in line with 2017. The labor market's current pace of growth continues to absorb population growth and bring in sidelined workers, tightening slack.
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Jan 10, 2020
U.S. employers added 145,000 new jobs in December, according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics report, reflecting solid job gains. Unemployment held at 3.5 percent, a 50-year low.
With an average of 180,000 new jobs being added each month in 2019, job growth lagged behind the 2018 average but was in line with 2017. The labor market's current pace of growth continues to absorb population growth and bring in sidelined workers, tightening slack.
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Jan 10, 2020
?The Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is advising organizations to be vigilant about their security measures following airstrikes between the U.S. and Iran. The agency offers tips for employers to follow to make sure their data is safe.
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Jan 09, 2020
Arrests of undocumented immigrant workers increased in fiscal year (FY) 2019 compared to the previous year, even as immigration worksite investigations dropped slightly, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) data.
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Jan 09, 2020
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld a $54.6 million jury verdict against Walmart for its pay practices for truckers in California. The Jan. 6 decision shows that an employer's control over employees, even when they aren't working, can lead to wage and hour liability in California.
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Jan 09, 2020
Have questions about recertifying your SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP? In every issue, the SHRM Certification team will answer some of the frequently asked questions they receive from credential-holders. This week the team addresses when credential-holders need to recertify.
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Jan 09, 2020
?Do you realize that the work you're doing to earn professional development credits (PDCs) toward SHRM recertification can also be used to further your career by earning a raise or promotion? Here are some tips you can use to ask for a raise, highlighting the work you've done and documented toward recertification.
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Jan 09, 2020
Ask employees which wellness incentives and perks will add value to their professional and personal lives. Designing wellness-related activities and encouraging your workforce to actively participate in them can and will make a difference throughout the workplace.
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Jan 09, 2020
?The SHRM Exam Development Team is actively seeking SHRM-certified professionals to volunteer as subject matter experts (SMEs) in a wide variety of activities relating to the development of the SHRM certification examinations. SHRM conducts about 30 projects throughout the year, ranging from in-person item-writing workshops to virtual reviews of questions for cultural bias and sensitivity. Our goal is to build world-class content for future SHRM-CP and SHRM-SCP exams.
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Jan 08, 2020
Some employers are trying to get involved and reduce car commuting. But how can organizations encourage their employees to commute differently? Researchers found that employers have to do more than nudge workers to change their habits.
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Jan 08, 2020
California HR professionals will likely have a busy year dealing with the state's new independent-contractor test, historically low unemployment rate and multigenerational workforce.
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Jan 08, 2020
Crazy questions have been asked by companies as large and renowned as Google, Amazon and Microsoft. Why? What are hiring managers looking for? Is this approach effective? Could it backfire by turning off potential job candidates? Should you incorporate provocative—even goofy—questions into your interview process?
The answer is maybe.
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Jan 08, 2020
U.S. employers filed applications for nearly 100,000 H-2B visas for 33,000 available slots, the U.S. Department of Labor announced Jan. 6.
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Jan 08, 2020
When HR managers embark on implementing artificial intelligence (AI) into their company's workflow, they'll be grappling with a disruptive technology that changes the way people from HR leaders to recruiters to front-line employees work.
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Jan 08, 2020
At tax time, employers have an opportunity to let low- and moderate-income workers know about a special tax credit that can help them save for retirement through their employer-sponsored plan.
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Jan 08, 2020
Chiefs of HR across India are gearing up for the journey toward digitalization. They are looking at which technologies will help make their people processes easier, more effective and convenient to use. Here we share the 10 priorities for CHROs in India this year.
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Jan 08, 2020
The U.S. Supreme Court will decide whether the First Amendment's freedom of religion clauses prevent courts from reviewing employment discrimination claims against parochial schools when workers performed important religious functions.
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Jan 08, 2020
New York employers will soon be required to pay an estimated 70,000 tipped workers the full minimum wage, regardless of any tips received. Importantly, however, workers in the hospitality industry will not be impacted by the change.
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Jan 08, 2020
?Most chief people officers (CPOs) realize they need new skills to meet the demands of the 21st century, but too few of them say they have those skills, citing a lack of development and investment from the C-suite. This finding is from to a new study by global consultancy Willis Towers Watson and by HR People Strategy, the Society for Human Resource Management's (SHRM's) executive network of business and thought leaders in human resources.
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Jan 07, 2020
Employers might want to offer more wellness perks now that the federal government has modernized the definition of "regular rate" of pay—which is used to calculate overtime premiums. Here are some points to consider.
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Jan 07, 2020
Employers can counter objections to employee reclassification with clear communications about the advantages of nonexempt status—but don't promise the impossible.
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Jan 07, 2020
Unlike private employees, public employees are protected from termination or discipline for exercising their First Amendment rights. Employers and their outside counsel who violate those clearly established rights open themselves up to litigation, as a recent case in the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals demonstrates.
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Jan 07, 2020
An audiologist who had 60 documented instances of tardiness in a two-year span could not perform the essential functions of his position under the Americans with Disabilities Act, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania ruled.
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Jan 06, 2020
Artificial intelligence (AI) and data science roles continued to dominate among emerging jobs in 2019, spreading across nearly every industry, according to U.S. data from global professional networking site LinkedIn.
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Jan 06, 2020
At this time of year, many of us make resolutions to become more successful, get a better job, win a promotion, change jobs or careers, and so on. The next step is to harness those resolutions to activities and specific goals that move you incrementally forward. With realistic action plans, which we will discuss, those dreams may materialize.
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Jan 06, 2020
California's controversial new independent-contractor test took effect Jan. 1, but several professional associations, on-demand businesses and workers are trying to halt its application to their respective industries.
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Jan 06, 2020
New research focuses on assessing and measuring organizational culture. Researchers used big-data processing to mine the ubiquitous "digital traces" of culture in electronic communications, such as emails, Slack messages and Glassdoor reviews. By studying the language employees use in these communications, they found they could measure how culture actually influences employees' thoughts and behavior at work.
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Jan 06, 2020
Moving company U-Haul's New Year's resolution to help its workers improve their health includes screening out job applicants who smoke, vape or chew tobacco.
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Jan 06, 2020
A United Kingdom employment tribunal ruled that veganism is a philosophical belief under the Equality Act, meaning that vegans are entitled to protection from discrimination because of this belief.
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Jan 06, 2020
Wages for rank-and-file workers are rising at the fastest rate in more than a decade—and outpacing pay raises for managers, new data show. Companies risk losing employees if they don't heed 2020 compensation trends.
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Jan 06, 2020
Effective Jan. 1, the IRS decreased to 57.5 cents per mile—down one-half cent—the standard rate that many employers use to reimburse employees who drive their own cars or trucks for business activities. Other reimbursement methods are also options.
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Jan 06, 2020
The Supreme Court might reconsider the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act's (ACA's) individual coverage mandate this term.
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Jan 04, 2020
There are a few recognized ways to land that first HR job: earn a degree in HR; earn a degree in business or a related field; or work your way into the HR department from another area of your company. Be ready for a career filled with change and challenge.
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Dec 20, 2019
About 2.1 million federal employees will soon be eligible for paid parental leave under a defense spending bill recently signed by President Donald Trump. The bill included a ban-the-box law prohibiting federal agencies and federal contractors from asking job applicants about criminal convictions until after a conditional job offer has been made.
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