A recent study conducted by LinkedIn asked participants—over 2,000 working professionals—what skills they desired most in their bosses. The results yielded a clear “top 5” list of qualities that people most want to see their bosses exhibit. Problem solving: what your employees most want to see is a boss who models effective problem solving skills…. Read More
Posts Categorized In: HR Strategy
In the Workplace, Stress is the Enemy
If you’re concerned with employee retention at your company, minimizing stress levels amongst your team should be a top priority. According to a recent Harvard Business Review article, when employees are stressed, their critical and creative thinking is diminished, and the odds of them leaving their jobs are almost tripled. Because stress shows up in… Read More
EPLI Insurance May Cover Some Wage-and-Hour Claims
Employment practices liability insurance (“EPLI”) policies often contain explicit language that excludes from coverage or defense claims that are based on any federal or state wage-and-hour laws. Recently, the California Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal gave employers a glimmer of hope – and an incentive to push back if a carrier initially rejects either coverage… Read More
Most Interviewers Ask the Wrong Questions
Many people find themselves in the position to be interviewing prospective employees, without really having much training in how to conduct an interview. This often results in the interviewer asking boilerplate questions that the candidate has already been asked many, many times before. The result is a “canned” response that has been rehearsed and refined… Read More
The Importance of an Inclusive Workplace
What? Inclusion is a pillar of a functional workplace. It manifests on many levels, from meetings to policies to seemingly insignificant day-to-day workplace banter. As the boss, it is ultimately your responsibility to create an inclusive space on all levels, for all demographics that comprise your team. A good first step is to clearly define… Read More
Human Trafficking Training Required by End of 2019
By year end of 2019, California hotel and motel employers must train all of their employees about human trafficking – to raise awareness, teach employees how to spot victims, and provide guidance on what to do to help. As we pointed out in our January 2019 blog about new California employment laws, SB-970 mandates that… Read More
Heads Up — July 1 Minimum Wage Increases
If you do business in any of the cities below, be sure that as of July 1, 2019, you began paying any minimum wage employees at the current increased rates. If you use a payroll service, they likely notified you and took care of it. But if you handle your own payroll in-house, make sure… Read More
Independent Contractors Remain Dangerous for California Employers
As we blogged about last year here, in May 2018 the California Supreme Court issued a landmark decision in Dynamex Operations West, Inc. v. Superior Court and dramatically changed the standard for determining whether California workers could be classified as employees or independent contractors. One key question that the Dynamex court explicitly refused to decide was whether… Read More
A New Approach to Employee Benefits?
Recruiting and retaining talent is a challenge for every employer, especially in the red-hot economy here in the Bay Area. That’s why many employers are taking a fresh look at their employee benefits and asking, “Are these benefits really adding value?” A recent article in Forbes explains how “forward thinking” employers are embracing a new theory of… Read More
Have You Completed Your Mandatory Sexual Harassment Training?
As we blogged about previously, a new law came into effect January 1, 2019 requiring California employers with five or more employees to provide sexual harassment and abusive conduct prevention training for all employees by January 1, 2020. Prior to this new law, only employers with 50 or more employees were required to provide at… Read More
