Examining the Latest Legal Developments and their Impact

Tag: Employment Law

A good H.R. Director

Cost of Outsourcing HR

If you had to take a guess about who has one of the busiest positions in a mid-sized company, what would your answer be?  The big boss, i.e. the CEO or President?  Well, guess again.  That position which is stressful and overburdened is that of the Human Resources Director.  There are never enough hours in the day to get everything done and it is the lucky HR honcho who has a staff to help out.  There were already enough policies to enforce, forms to create and distribute and records to be maintained, without the advent of the Affordable Health Care Act, or ObamaCare and its seemingly endless list of rules and regs.  Of course, there were new procedures, policies and protocol to get up to speed on, and, just when those items were mastered and taken care of, the rules and regs got legs as even more new procedures were implemented beginning January 2016.

Social Media at Work

Social Media at Work

You know it starts out innocent enough – a viral video that goes around the internet at the speed of sound.  It soon is the talk at the office coffee machine, and, for those who’ve missed it, no less than a dozen people hustle back to their respective work stations to forward it along posthaste so our co-workers can see it personally.  As an employer it is your job to be aware of the latest social media trends in the workplace and to keep your employees at check so that they are able to better perform their work duties without feeling threatened, with this there are many common legal questions that you may want to ask your employment law attorney.

Phased-Out Retirement

What is Phased Retirement?

By now, you know the drill… that early morning regimen.  The alarm buzzes; you hit once, maybe twice – ugh, you have to get up or you’ll be running late.  Did you ever stop to think how many days of the same routine and how many days until you can retire?  I’ll bet you’d be surprised to find out many people don’t look forward to retirement, especially those in careers or jobs that they really love.  But, eventually, even if you’re in business for yourself, there is a time to shut it down and enjoy your golden years.

For people who don’t want to just quit their full-time job “cold turkey” because they are still healthy and enjoy their livelihood, and they worry about what to do with all their spare time, they might want to consider a growing trend in the workplace called “phased retirement” which is a form of job-sharing.  In a nutshell, it keeps the near-retiree viable and doing a job they love, plus allowing the opportunity to mentor an up-and-coming young person, who one day will take over their job, having secured all knowledge about the position from the person who did it best.  The new employee is happy, the elder employee is happy, and even the boss is happy since he does not have to worry about covering that position with an inexperienced worker.  It is a win-win situation all around.

One of the top legal questions posed these days is how does phased retirement work, and, if so, could it work for me?

Paternity Leave

What is Paternity Leave?

This is not your father’s workplace when it comes to time off for dads after the birth of a child.  Your dad probably had to use a personal day or vacation day for the birth of each child, and was expected back at work the next business day, passing out cigars, then his nose was right to the grindstone.

Conflict Between Employees

How to Deal With Conflict Between Employees in the Workplace

Conflict is just a fact of life.  Even when we were toddlers, it seems we had issues and were verbal about what we didn’t like.  We argued with our siblings about our possessions and our “standing in the family”… even though being the oldest didn’t always trump other factors.  Things didn’t change once we got to school either – there was always something to whine about it seems.  No two people are alike and we are not cut from the same cloth so there is always bound to be disagreement among our peers.

In the workplace, disagreement and dissension among the ranks is also common.  Sure, there is the differences of opinion over college sport teams and that rivalry is acceptable.  Even the occasional political bickering over one’s favorite candidate or values, as long as it does not get out of hand, may be the topic bandied about the water cooler.