Why Best Practices Suck

Shouldn’t we learn from others and determine the most effective way to reach our goals, benchmark our progress, and achieve success? Best practices are only best if you’re just practicing. And I have no clue what a benchmark really is, or what you do with one.
 

When Employers Are Liable for Harassment

The US Supremes issued their opinion in Vance v. Ball State University this morning holding that an employer is not liable for its employee’s racial or sexual harassment unless the harasser is a supervisor of the victim employee.
 

Depression and Work

Depression accounts for an estimated $83 billion per year in lost productivity. Legal Editor Heather Bussing explains the legal aspects of managing depressed employees.
 

Social Media’s Real Legal Issues

When companies adopt social media, they are usually concerned about people saying bad things about them. Their first instinct is to issue a policy that dictates what people can and cannot say.
 

Unintended Employees

Topics: Employment Law, Heather Bussing, HRExaminer, Policies, by Heather Bussing
To show that someone is an independent contractor, you generally have to give independent contractors discretion over how they perform their work; they tend to use their own equipment, tools and resources; and they usually work by the project instead of for an indefinite period.
 

How Employers Can Still See Employee Social Media Accounts

Almost all states’ social media password laws allow the employer access to an employee’s social media account as part of an investigation. There are few, if any, limits on what the investigation is about.
 

Social Media, Blogging, and Copyright

The first thing to understand is the law is way behind reality. Almost all intellectual property law is based on the idea that there is something tangible that you can own and attach ownership rights to—like a book, or a poem, or a painting.
 

3 Ways to Close the Generation Gap in Performance Reviews

But, to paraphrase Bart Simpson, getting HR people to hate performance reviews is like making teenagers depressed — it’s like shooting fish in a barrel. That goes for just about everyone in your organization over age 35.
 

Shepherd’s Result Triangle.

Topics: Heather Bussing, Policies, Social Media Policy, by Heather Bussing
Most people and companies are good at figuring out their goals. And many are pretty good at showing they care . . . well, at least about themselves. But knowing what you want and caring about it is exactly the right place to start.
 

The Office is a Great Place for Fun and Games

“When adults have autonomy at work they might not focus on their normal tasks 100% of the time. That’s normal. Guess what? Using some of that autonomy for small doses of play at work actually facilitates productivity for most people. It represents a fun not-related-to-work break that stimulates healthy thinking.” – Todd Dewett