HR Soapbox

HR’s 6 biggest legal mistakes … and how to avoid them

February 3, 2017
Employee legal complaints against their employers have spiked in the past decade. For HR professionals, one small misstep—by themselves or a supervisor—can cost an organization dearly in time, energy and legal costs. Here are the six most important legal mistakes that HR professionals need to protect against …

Tears, fears & cheers: How did your workplace handle the post-election fallout?

November 18, 2016
The American workplace has had 10 days to absorb the most surprising presidential election in our lifetimes. Since then, the full range of human emotion, from grief to glee, has played out in offices, shops and warehouses—a volatile mix that caused arguments and some violence among co-workers. Here are four things that any supervisor or HR professional should remember when facing a highly charged emotional issue in the workplace …

Manage Like Maddon: 6 Things HR and Front-Line Bosses Can Learn from the Chicago Cubs

September 2, 2016

This summer, baseball’s historical cellar-dwelling team, the Chicago Cubs, are having a season for the ages, led by their guru/mad scientist manager Joe Maddon. HR professionals and front-line bosses face many of the same challenges as baseball managers in putting a successful team on the field. Here are six things you can learn from Maddon and the Cubs … 

Trump vs. Clinton: Who Do U.S. Workers Fight About Most?

July 29, 2016
Most political conventions are scripted, made-for-TV affairs with much sound but little fury. This year’s versions of the Democratic and Republican gatherings were highlighted by loud and public internal squabbles. That same sort of commotion is playing out in workplaces across the country. Here are the new statistics about workplace debates, plus advice on how HR can set up a smart, legally safe policy on political discourse at work …

16 Great Lessons From This Week’s Big HR-fest in Washington

June 22, 2016
This year, the HR Soapbox didn’t need to travel far to cover the big annual HR-palooza that is the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) conference. We joined more than 15,000 other HRers right here in Washington, D.C., from June 19-22. If you weren’t able to make it, no problem. Here are some of the best nuggets of wisdom left behind by the 200+ speakers …

Losers & Liars: Trump-Like Insults Can Be a Legal Hazard in the Workplace

June 9, 2016
“Stupid” … “loser” … “pathetic” … “lightweight” … “a spoiled brat without a properly functioning brain.” All those insults—and worse—have been hurled on the campaign trail during this especially ugly election year, with the harshest attacks lobbed by GOP nominee-in-waiting Donald Trump. But what happens when supervisors use that kind of verbal venom on employees […]

Q&A: Understanding the Big Changes to Overtime Law

May 19, 2016
The U.S. Department of Labor just announced its much-anticipated final changes to federal overtime rules, which willl bring big changes to the way employers pay, classify and manage their employees. Here is a compliance Q&A on those changes:

Why You Can (and Should) Ignore the New FMLA Poster

May 6, 2016

The feds just published an updated version of the mandatory FMLA poster. But employers shouldn’t rush to tack it onto their “Here’s How to Sue Us” wall of posters in the breakroom. Here’s why …

Big Overtime Changes Will Shine a Light on Your Moonlighting Policy

April 21, 2016

One of the unintended consequences of the big changes coming to federal overtime law this summer is likely to be more employees taking on second jobs, according to a new study. But can you (or should you) ban off-the-clock moonlighting? Here are four tips, plus two sample policies …

Lessons for Employers: The Equal Pay Lawsuit by U.S. Women’s Soccer Team

April 8, 2016

Last week, five members of the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team filed an EEOC complaint demanding to be paid the same as members of the U.S. Men’s National Team. Is your organization vulnerable to a similar claim? Take a close look at the U.S. Equal Pay Act …