California’s Disability Insurance California’s Disability Insurance provides essential financial support to individuals who are unable to work due to a non-work-related illness or injury. This state-mandated program is designed to assist eligible workers by replacing a portion of their lost…
In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, the integration of technology into Human Resources processes has become a necessity for organizations looking to improve efficiency and productivity. With the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and automation, HR departments are finding new…
In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, it is more important than ever for Human Resources (HR) teams to foster a culture of innovation within their organizations. With the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other advanced technologies, HR management is…
California is known for its progressive employment laws, including comprehensive disability insurance, paid family leave, and employee leave laws. While these programs share the common goal of supporting employees during times of need, they differ in several key aspects. 1.…
Nonprofit organizations are established to serve a public cause and, therefore, are expected to be transparent in their operations. Transparency is a key value that demonstrates the integrity, honesty and trustworthiness of non-profits. However, transparency does not mean that non-profits…
In today’s fast-paced and competitive world, the pressure to perform and succeed can often lead individuals to prioritize their own comfort and well-being over the objective facts and truths that underpin successful decision-making. This tendency can be particularly dangerous in…
It is not uncommon for companies to have lower-ranking staff recruit and onboard their own supervisors. This practice may seem logical and efficient, but it raises questions about ethics and best practices in management and human resources. In this article,…
Ethical decision-making principles are especially important for Human Resources professionals, who often face complex and sensitive issues that involve the rights and interests of various stakeholders, such as employees, managers, customers, suppliers, regulators and society. Human Resources professionals have a…
(THIS IS NOT LEGAL ADVICE – EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES) Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 forbids employment discrimination against any individual based on that individual’s “race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.” Pub. L. 88-352, Section 704,…
(THIS IS NOT LEGAL ADVICE – EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES) In the Mendoza case, the Court held that a “lack of rigorous investigation is evidence suggesting defendants did not value the discovery of the truth so much as a way to clean up the…
Organizational misconduct is a serious issue that must be addressed by effective and timely investigations. When faced with evidence of a potential violation of policy or law, employers must take steps to conduct an employee investigation. It is important to…
National origin harassment is a form of discrimination that occurs in the workplace. It occurs when employees are harassed because of their national origin or ethnicity. National origin harassment involves the use of languages, jokes, or other forms of intimidation…
Collective bargaining is generally conducted through a trade union. Employees will pay the trade union a relatively small fee each month to be a member. In return, the trade union hires have a negotiating team to bargain on the employees…
When looking at the types of collective bargaining, it is important to distinguish it between a collective agreement. There are also different types of collective agreements, but these refer to the outcome of collective bargaining. For instance, there are single…
INDIVIDUAL DISPARATE TREATMENT DISCRIMINATION *Employer treats some people less favorably than others because of [some protected characteristic] *Proof of discriminatory motive is critical (in some situations it can be inferred from the mere fact of differences in treatment) MEANING…
Developing Employee Handbooks An employee handbook is a document that communicates organizational history, mission, values, policies, procedures, and benefits. It should contain information about all the “way we do things around here” and why we do them that way. The…
“A policy is a broad statement that reflects an organization’s philosophy, objectives, or standards concerning a particular set of management or employee activities. Policies reflect the employer’s employee relations strategy. They are general in nature and are expressed through more…
The following are the proficiency indicators that SHRM has identified as key concepts for mid-level HR Professionals: • Supports interactions with unions and other employee representatives • Supports the organization’s interests in union-management activities • Assists and supports the organization…
The FMLA’s anti-interference provision bars conduct that “`tends to chill’ an employee’s willingness to exercise” rights under the statute. See, Brown v. City of Tucson, 336 F.3d 1181 (9th Cir. 2003) (Holding that close temporal proximity between the protected activity…
Contract Negotiation Process Negotiating a contract requires identifying the subjects to be addressed by the agreement. Then, each party prepares its preferred position on each subject. Then the process of comparing those positions begins. Often, dollars are attached to contract…
Conflict-Resolution Techniques. Some amount of conflict will always be present in the workplace. The fact that it exists is not necessarily an unhealthy thing. When it is resolved quickly and effectively, it can lead to personal and professional growth. In…
Either management or union can initiate retaliatory action in the workplace as a response to the other party’s failure to agree at the bargaining table. Industrial actions are designed to get the attention of the opposite party. Unfair labor practices…
The progressive discipline model is one that has been used in American workplaces for more than a century. It is written into many, if not most, union contracts as a requirement to assure management treats its members appropriately when problems…
Investigations are appropriate in several circumstances within an employer’s organization. They can be helpful in a grievance-handling effort and are essential in determining the validity of discrimination complaints. Whenever there is a need to determine facts surrounding a complaint, an…
HR needs to develop a strategy that is aligned with the capabilities needed to implement the organization’s overall strategy. Becker, Huselid, and Beatty wrote in The Differentiated Workforce that HR must shift its focus from employees to one strategy, and…
Metrics There are many different metrics to select from, and the formulas can vary. It’s important to use a consistent formula when benchmarking HR practices. Here are the typical metrics used for measuring the HR value: • Absence rate •…
There are seven types of organizational structures. • Departmental • Chain of command • Span of control • Work specialization • Formalized • Centralized or decentralized • Matrix Departmental. This is where tasks are divided into separate duties, grouping people…
The future for HR includes increased accountability for workforce productivity, performance, collaboration, innovation, and culture. In the future, new core HR competencies would emerge requiring strong technical, analytical, and creative skills. • HR would replace its one-size-fits-all policy focus with…
The strategic role of HR professionals is to strengthen the relationship between the employees and the employer. The Evolving Role of HR Professionals The role of human resources has evolved over the years, probably more so than any other department…
There are several definitions of perquisites; perhaps the most common is “Any monetary or other incidental benefit beyond salary; a gratuity; a privilege or possession held or claimed exclusively by a certain person, group or class.” These are some of…
Pay Structure After an organization has determined its relative internal job values (i.e., job evaluation and collected appropriate market survey data through pay surveys, work begins on developing the organization’s pay structure, including creating pay grades and establishing pay ranges.…
Market-Based (External) Job Evaluation. A market-rate system is not a true job evaluation system; however, in certain cases, market value can be used to price jobs— particularly when the organization is sensitive to competition. These prevailing rates are used to…
The compensation system design process includes four key activities: job analysis, job documentation, job evaluation, and pay structure. Job Analysis Before we address the process of job analysis, we should first address what is a job. A job may be…
The Challenges of Transparency How much to communicate about pay is a continual debate, one for which there is no clear answer. Those in favor of open communication feel that unless employees understand their organization’s pay system and how their…
A typical total rewards package can include compensation, benefits, work-life balance, performance and recognition, personal development, and career opportunities. Recent strong global competition for talent and shortages of critical-skill workers, particularly in the fast-growing economies of Asia and Latin America,…
Employee lifecycle (ELC) refers to the various stages of the employment process. It starts with the recruitment and ends with termination. The various stages of the employee lifecycle call for different HR management techniques for individual employees. As an example,…
PEST factors address political, economic, social, and technological factors that may influence an organization’s total rewards strategy. The following examples describe the conditions that may impact total rewards: • Political The head of government or legislative body in control most…
Internal Equity is a situation that results when people feel that performance fairly determines the pay for each individual with a certain job or that relative difficulty results in appropriate differences in pay rates between jobs. Worker dissatisfaction may arise…
Pay equity is not equal access to jobs offered by an employer. This is called employment equity, which means that women, men, and minorities have equal opportunities when applying for jobs. Nor is pay equity the fact that a person…
Equity is fairness and impartiality toward all concerned, based on the principles of evenhanded dealing. Equity implies giving as much advantage, consideration, or latitude to one party as it is given to another. Along with the economy, effectiveness, and efficiency,…