Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
Keurig Green Mountain Coffee, known as a “Best Place to Work,” offers all employees 52 hours each year for volunteer work; plus, the company runs additional companywide volunteerism opportunities. Steve Bruce, host of BLR’s popular podcast, HR Works, recently interviewed three Keurig Green Mountain employees about the volunteer programs. Here’s a transcript:
By Amy McLaughlin, JD, Dinse, Knapp & McAndrew As an employment lawyer, the first question I ask clients who are dealing with a challenging personnel matter is what type of documentation exists. Why? Because in the world of employment litigation, documentation is king!
The Vermont Legislature has passed a bill that soon will require employers to provide employees with paid sick leave. The bill, which passed the Vermont Senate on February 10 and the House on February 17, is expected to gain Governor Peter Shumlin’s signature. Presuming the governor signs the bill, the law will go into effect […]
by Sophie Zdatny On June 9, Governor Peter Shumlin signed House Bill 522 into law, making Vermont the first state to approve a minimum wage above the $10.10 goal set by President Barack Obama. As of January 1, 2015, Vermont’s minimum wage will rise to $9.15, from its current level at $7.25. The minimum wage […]
by Sophie E. Zdatny House Bill 99, titled “an act relating to equal pay,” has cleared both chambers of the Vermont Legislature and is set to be signed into law by Governor Peter Shumlin on Tuesday, May 14. The final bill amends Vermont’s Fair Employment Practices Act to provide that an employer may pay different […]
by Amy M. McLaughlin A recent decision from the Second U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reiterates an employer’s obligation to ensure that its decisionmakers act without discriminatory or retaliatory animus. The employer in the following case allowed a decisionmaker whom it knew harbored racial animus to fire a black worker for poor performance. That move […]
Should our company use job descriptions? How long should they be, and what information should they contain? Do they really serve a useful purpose? We get those questions all the time, and the answer is always the same: Yes, employers should use lean, practical job descriptions that accurately reflect essential job duties because they serve […]
As the new year approaches, a number of states will see index-driven increases to their minimum wage rates. Specifically, Arizona, Montana, Ohio, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington will each add around 10 cents per hour to their existing wage rates, based on an increase in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) of a little more than one […]
by Lorraine Yeomans The 2010 state legislative sessions have kicked off across the nation, and one of the first pieces of legislation to be signed into law this year was a bill legalizing the use of medical marijuana. On January 18, as one of his last acts before leaving office, New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine […]
Tell me about yourself. What are your strengths? How about your weaknesses? Maybe those questions sound familiar. Maybe you hear the same phrases come out of your own mouth every time you conduct a job interview. And maybe you’re missing something. Mastering HR: Hiring Traditional vs. behavioral interviewing techniques If you’re frustrated by the lack […]