The Cost of Not Accommodating Caregivers
Mark McGraw, HRE Daily
The report, Caregivers in the Workplace: Family Responsibilities Discrimination Litigation Update 2016, analyzed 4,400 family responsibilities discrimination cases that were filed in the United States between the years 2006 and 2015. Report author Cynthia Thomas Calver looked at employees’ claims alleging discrimination based on their status as a pregnant woman, mother, father, or a caregiver for a sick or disabled family member or an aging or ill parent, and found a 269 percent increase in the number of such cases filed in that 10-year span, compared to the prior decade.
When (and How) to Fire an Employee: 7 Signs it’s Time to Terminate
Riia O’Donnell, Recruiter Box
No one should ever be surprised to be fired. Unless your company has fallen victim to a pirate-worthy hostile takeover, or a 60 Minutes exposé that brings the villagers with torches and pitchforks, getting fired should never come out of the blue for any employee. Every employee who is terminated should know it’s coming and be ready to take responsibility when it happens. No surprises allowed.
But when is it necessary to fire an employee, and when should companies look for ways to rehabilitate? When separation is necessary, it’s important to do it properly, with respect and dignity.
But often when you’re considering letting someone go, you may be missing out on an opportunity to modify problem behavior and salvage an otherwise good staffer.
OSHA Makes Sweeping Changes to its Illness and Injury Reporting Rule — What this Means for Employers
Michael D. Billok, New York Labor & Employment Law
Currently, most employers other than those in partially-exempt industries are required to maintain injury and illness reporting records on a log (OSHA Form 300), with supporting documentation (OSHA Form 301, or other equivalent document such as workers compensation records). Each employer then summarizes that information each year onto OSHA Form 300A, which the employer then posts at the workplace from February 1 to April 30. Other than serious injuries such as amputations, fatalities, or accidents requiring hospitalization, which require more immediate reporting, employers have not been required to submit injury and illness data to OSHA. Now, however, many businesses will have to submit injury and illness information periodically to OSHA electronically. Not only that, but OSHA also will post this information online.
Related:
EEOC Issues New Resource Document Addressing Leave as a Reasonable Accommodation under the ADA. What’s the Impact on Employers?
Jeff Nowak, FMLA Insights
Yesterday, the EEOC issued a resource document — entitled Employer-Provided Leave and the Americans with Disabilities Act — that addresses “the prevalence of employer policies that deny or unlawfully restrict the use of leave as a reasonable accommodation,” which the agency contends “serve as systemic barriers to the employment of workers with disabilities.”
Noting the “troubling trend” in charges of discrimination that allege violations of the ADA (up 6% from last year), the EEOC believes this resource document “explains to employers and employees in a clear and practical way how to approach requests for leave as a reasonable accommodation so that employees can manage their health and employers can meet their business needs.”
Related:
FMLA Complimentary Webinar with Jeff Nowak and EEOC Joint Commissioner Chai Feldblum – Topic: EEOC’s New Resource on Leave as an ADA Reasonable Accommodation
Autism Can Be An Asset In The Workplace, Employers And Workers Find
Yuki Noguchi, NPR
Still, with baby boomers starting to retire, and with talent in increasingly short supply, companies as varied as Microsoft, Walgreens, Capital One, AMC Theaters, and Procter & Gamble are all starting to actively recruit people who have autism spectrum disorder. They aren’t yet putting a lot more people to work, but their recruiting and training programs are becoming models for other firms.
Take, for example, Bank of America’s support center in Dallas, which prints, checks and sorts reams upon reams of paperwork regarding bank customers. The work involves, as manager Duke Roberson says, “a lot of paper handling.”
All the members of Roberson’s staff of 75 have some form of disability. His workers with high-functioning autism, he says, tend to be aces at catching errors — and they enjoy the repetition.
What Is a 360 Review?
Susan Heathfield, About.com Human Resources
The 360 review is a professional feedback opportunity that enables a group of coworkers to provide feedback on an employee’s performance. The feedback is generally asked for by the manager to whom the employee reports.
Coworkers who participate in the 360 review usually include the boss, several peers, reporting staff, and functional managers with whom the employee works regularly
Hence, the name of the feedback opportunity comes from the fact that performance feedback is solicited from all directions in the organization.
What to Do When Catastrophes Go Viral
Lori Brassell, Insurance Thought Leadership
The power of social media is undeniable. Whether it’s political movements, disasters, or breaking news, social media delivers unfiltered information instantaneously to people around the world. When a catastrophe occurs today, comments, pictures and video are likely to appear on the Internet as it happens. For instance, a deadly explosion at a Texas fertilizer plant was caught live on video and posted to social media, as was an enormous explosion that rocked the Chinese port of Tianjin. But when social media posts about a catastrophe go viral, the company involved can be in for a struggle.
Sponsorship vs Mentorship
Jeffrey Simmons, LinkedIn
At the ground level, sponsorship isn’t just about being interested in people, it’s being vested in them. It takes mentoring to the next level. It’s is more than being a cheerleader or someone for people to bring concerns to. In fact, it is better represented by the role of a coach or trainer – pushing people to reach their potential, to take risks and test their limits. And in turn, a sponsor will stand up for that person behind closed doors, advocating on his or her behalf when career decisions are being made. Sponsorship is a two-way commitment with buy-in from both parties. But with it, it can change the trajectory of careers and business alike.
More on Overtime Rule
- Should we really be this panicked about the DOL overtime regs? Probably not
- One Big Thing For Employers to Know About the New Overtime Rule
- The 2016 #FLSA Overtime Changes: What #HR Needs to Know
- DOL Overtime Final Rule: How do the bonus and commission provisions work?
Quick takes
- 10 Sins of Well-Meaning Supervisors
- The Future Of HR And Why Startups Shouldn’t Reject It
- Is sexual harassment training a turn-off for men?
- Paid Family Leave: A U.S. Culture Shift?
- 13 quotations showing how ‘utilize’ can weaken sentences
- 19 Annoying Habits You Must Break To Be a Better Leader
- How to Get Your Staff to Be More Candid with You
- 5 Common FMLA Mistakes Employers Make
- When the organization is facing tough times, focus on relationships
- 3 approaches to powering up your internal communications
- 5 things employers would change about the ACA
- Is a Bring Your Own Device Policy a Good Cost Saver or a Legal Nightmare?