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Do You Need More ‘Think Time’ in your day? A 16-Question Self-Quiz

08/21/2007

As summer winds down, the pace of work and life picks up. But living life at too fast a pace can hurt your career and your health. To find out if you need to reserve more quiet "think time" in your day, take this simple 16-question self-quiz.

Dealing with foul-smelling workers: 6 tips for ‘The talk’

08/07/2007

Hosting a termination meeting may be easier than having to tell an employee that he or she has offensive body odor. Here are six tips for handling the issue in your workplace:

High-Rolling exec wagers $6.4 million, wins jail time

08/01/2007

After losing $50,000 in Las Vegas, Nestlé sales executive Henry Machinski, fearful of telling his wife, launched a scheme with gambling buddy Vincent Marchese, an Allentown grocer. They created a fictitious company, AP Foods. Machinski wrote checks to AP Foods for Nestlé promotional payments, which the pair then cashed and split …

Beware any change in working conditions after complaint

08/01/2007

When an employee claims discrimination, HR should make sure that employee isn’t retaliated against. But retaliation is more than lost promotions, discharge or demotions. Retaliation can be any employer-initiated action that would deter a reasonable person from complaining. That’s why it’s crucial for HR to let supervisors and managers know they shouldn’t change anything about the employee’s working conditions without HR approval …

Back seat of the car makes a poor backup plan

08/01/2007

It’s still the safest place for small children in a car, but the back seat may not be the best place to stow your company’s backup data …

Fire before you hire: Put more burden on job-seekers

08/01/2007

Hiring managers spend too much time interviewing candidates—and asking them the wrong questions. Then they’re often surprised to have to fire those same candidates a few months later after discovering that good interview skills don’t necessarily signal a great job fit. The problem: Employers often hire for hard skills but fire for soft skills, says Karl Ahlrichs of Hiring Smart, an Indiana firm specializing in employee selection. Instead, says Ahlrichs, “Our new slogan should be, ‘Fire them before we hire them.’” …

Supercharge your computer: 4 tricks of the trade

08/01/2007

Even the fastest computer could profit from a few tricks that make everyday tasks easier or faster. Here are four free tools that HR professionals can benefit from …

Sen. Boscola plagued by blogging chief of staff

08/01/2007

How far can employees go when firing off comments on the web on their own time? What if the employee is a public servant? For Bernie Kieklak, chief of staff for state Sen. Lisa Boscola, the answer is pretty far …

Want the job? Giving your Social Security number is mandatory

08/01/2007

No doubt you’ve read recent accounts about the prevalence of identity theft and the use of Social Security numbers to obtain fraudulent credit cards and other documents. But the rise in such crimes does not excuse employees from giving their Social Security numbers to employers …

Immigration: Know Your ‘Border Guard’ Responsibilities

08/01/2007

Immigration reform was a hot topic in Washington during the first half of 2007, but Congress ultimately failed to pass legislation to tighten enforcement of decades-old laws that regulate which foreign-born workers are eligible to work in the United States. Fairly or not, look for employers and the HR functions to bear much of the enforcement responsibilities. Your best bet: Make sure you document employees’ eligibility to work by thoroughly completing and maintaining up-to-date I-9 forms …