Skip to main content

What I've Been Reading This Week: HR Edition


Every so often, I post a "What I've Been Reading This Week" article that focuses on a particular topic.  It has been a while since I dedicated a post to strictly HR related issues, and given that I came across several good articles on the topic, I thought readers might enjoy an HR related post.

As always, below are a few articles that caught my eye this week.


Using Private E-mail for Work: A Lesson

This article from the HR Capitalist has a clever look at what employers and employees alike can learn from the issues surrounding Hillary Clinton's use of personal e-mail for work related matters.  The biggest takeaway that I think readers will find useful are the helpful "hints" on what employers and employees should consider before sending work related e-mails.  Well worth a read, if for nothing more than as a reminder to avoid potentially disastrous work related e-mails that could come back to bite you...



All too often, I see articles and cases that discuss employees (and some employers) who use social media for work related purposes...and often not for good reasons (such as posting derogatory comments about co-workers, leaking trade secrets online, etc.).  Hilliary Comeau has a different take on social media and work, namely a few instances when social media can be used in a positive way.  While I would suggest that employers and employees not use social media for any work related purpose in order to avoid potential issues altogether, this article has a few interesting exceptions that some might find useful.


Are You Downsizing? A Few Suggestions on How Employers Can Handle It

Marilyn Moran has a good note on what an employer can do when deciding to downsize.  In particular, she provides three well thought out suggestions on what employers can do to handle the actual downsizing.  While note every employer will handle downsizing and a reduction in force in the same way, these are a few suggestions that employers should review.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

NLRB: Discussion Among Employees About Tip Pooling is Protected Concerted Activity

  This Advice Memorandum from the National Labor Relations Board’s Associate General Counsel, Jayme Sophir, addressed whether employees which discussed and complained about tip pooling at work constituted protected concerted activity. In relevant part, an employer in New York operated a chain of steakhouses.  While tip pooling was in place at these steakhouses, some of the employees objected to it on the grounds that it was not transparent and improperly divided tips among the workers.  Employees were told not to complain or talk to each other about the tip pool and were told that doing so would endanger their jobs.  Despite the employer later attempting to provide some clarity as to how the tips were being divided, rancor still existed among some employees.  At one point, the employees were told by a general manager that some employees that had been talking about the tip pool were “cleared out” and the employer would continue to do so. In the Advice Memorandum,...

Breaking: Labor Secretary Rumored to Be Leaving Administration

A few hours ago, word leaked out that Labor Secretary Marty Walsh (“Walsh”) is in the midst of negotiations to head up the NHL Players Union and leave his position at the Labor Department. Walsh, who has served as the sole Labor Secretary under President Biden, has taken part in a labor renaissance of sorts as support for organized labor has increased during his term as Labor Secretary (although the number of workers that have joined a union over the past two years has not grown as mush as some expected.)  He has also overseen the ongoing negotiations with rail workers over a new contract, although that matter is still on shaky ground and playing out as we speak. As for who might step into the vacant Labor Secretary role, there are already rumblings that President Biden should nominate Deputy Labor Secretary Julie Su (a strong labor advocate) or even a progressive like Senator Bernie Sanders.  Until Walsh officially gives his notice, however, I would expect some/many potential...

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie Vetoes Minimum Wage Hike

A few months ago, readers might remember that I pointed out that the New Jersey Legislature had voted to approve a minimum wage hike in the state .  Under the approved legislation, the minimum wage rate would rise to $10.10/hour in the next year and at least $15/hour over the next five.  (The current minimum wage rate in the state is $8.38/hour).  In that article, I had noted that the bill was then going to go before Governor Chris Christie for his approval or veto. As I had suggested previously, I thought that the Governor would likely veto the bill based upon his prior actions and comments on similar legislation.  Well, a few days ago, Governor Christie did just that and vetoed the bill on the grounds that it "would trigger an escalation of wages that will make doing business in New Jersey unfathomable."  Pointing to the increase in hourly minimum wage rates, the Governor referred to the bill as a "really radical increase."  (It is interesting to c...