McDonald’s continued resurgence offers credible support to the notion that the Oak Brook, Ill.-based company has performed arguably the most impressive business turnaround this decade. The resurgence of an American icon provides a number of valuable leadership lessons for corporate America.
Those lessons include: (more…)
Finally some good workplace news to come out of the recession.
In the January issue of HR Magazine it was reported that a devastated U.S. economy did not translate into an increase in unethical behavior at U.S. companies, according to a study from the Ethics Resource Center (ERC). Although the ERC’s 2009 National Business Ethics Survey report found that retaliation against employees who reported misconduct has increased slightly since a similar survey two years earlier, most other measures of ethical behavior improved. According to the report:
Employers that reimburse employees for business use of a personal automobile should be aware that the IRS mileage rate will drop from 55 cents/mile to 50 cents/mile on January 1, 2010.
The mileage rate for 2010 reflects lower transportation costs compared to a year ago. It’s important to note that if employers continue reimbursing employees at 2009’s 55 cents/mile, they will have to warn employees that they’re receiving five cents/mile in taxable income – this could mean they could end up owing more in taxes on April 15th the following year.
Whatever your company decides, it’s important to inform employees about the new rate and the company policy for mileage reimbursement.
Colorado’s minimum wage will drop slightly ($.03/hour) in 2010— the first decrease in any state’s minimum wage since the federal minimum was adopted in 1938. Colorado is one of 10 states that base minimum wage on inflation.
Washington’s “Everything But Marriage Law” has taken effect after a November referendum approved it. The law seeks to provide registered domestic partnerships (same sex and some opposite sex partners) the same rights and benefits under state law as accorded traditional marriages. Washington employers should review their benefits programs, policies and practices to ensure compliance with the new law.
A new Cleveland ordinance prohibits businesses from denying employment or housing on the basis of gender identity or gender expression.
The California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (“DLSE”) has issued an opinion letter (DLSE Op. Letter 2009.11.23) stating that while employers can’t deduct an exempt employee’s salary for partial day absences, they can charge employee leave balances.
Previously exempt employees’ leave could only be charged in 4 or more hour increments. The federal Department of Labor has permitted this practice for some time. This is a great development for California employers.
Effective January 1, 2010, an Oregon law became effective which prohibits employers from requiring employees to attend meetings to learn about the company’s union views.
The law also requires that all Oregon employers post a related notice advising employees of their rights.
Oregon now requires certain employers to have automated defibrillators on site.
Source: HR.BLR.com, 1/14/2010
Compensation laws are changing, and the changes will likely mean you’ll do things differently. The recent Ledbetter decision may have you scrambling to document pay decisions better and keep the records longer (or indefinitely). What you may not know is that these decisions could have an impact on your overall human resources function.
Stephanie Thomas, director of the Equal Employment Advisory and Litigation Support Division for Minimax Consulting LLC (www.minimaxconsulting.com), wants to help you ward off problems you may not have even thought about. She is concerned with two little words in the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, the (January 2009) legislation that discusses unlawful employment practices and how they impact compensation. The Act essentially says it is unlawful to make compensation decisions based on discriminatory decisions or other practices. What, exactly, are those other practices?
SALT LAKE CITY, UT (January 26, 2010) — HRN Management Group, a provider of human resource products and consulting services today announced setting the following 2009 company sales revenue records:
Mr. Jerry P. Nelson, HRN President and CEO stated, “I could not be more pleased with our 2009 performance! We expected 2009 to be a challenging year due to the economic climate, yet we set high goals and worked hard to execute, make adjustments, and achieve our sales, product development, and customer support objectives. I attribute our success to staying focused on what we do best—providing cost-effective, time saving, world class HR products and services that fulfill the employee management and compensation administration needs of a wide range of organizations and markets.”
Making HRN’s 2009 sales performance more noteworthy is that the reported sales total does not include additional product and consulting sales revenue from Wichita, KS based Koker Goodwin & Associates (KGA), a company acquired by HRN in July, 2009.
Mr. Nelson added, “With the complete integration of KGA as part of HRN taking place in 2010 we expect this year to be a breakout year that will include the release of Performance Pro 3 and followed closely by the launch of Succession Pro, an online succession planning solution.”
In addition to new sales, high customer satisfaction significantly contributed to the successful year demonstrated by record Performance Pro annual renewal income.
Wal-mart, considered by some to be practically immune to the recession, has decided to layoff over 11,000 workers at its Sam’s Club member-only discount stores.
Sam’s CEO recently said in a memo that the company contracted with Shopper Events, a third-party marketing company based in Rogers, Ark., to run the Sam’s Club demo program instead of the mostly part-time employees. The company, which employs about 110,000 in its 600 stores, didn’t provide details on cuts at specific stores but said each Sam’s Club store has on average 18 demo associates and two new business membership staffers.
Read the full article here
Source: Business First of Columbus
The number of workers claiming job discrimintion based on disability, religion, or national origin surged to new highs last year, as federal job bias complaints overall stayed at near record levels.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) said Wednesday that charges of disability discrimination rose by about 10% to 21,451 claims, the largest increase of any category.
The increase coincided with changes to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) last year that made it easier for people with epilepsy, diabetes and other treatable conditions to claim they are disabled.
Overall, the EEOC received more than 93,000 discrimination claims during the 2009 fiscal year, a 2% decrease from the record set in 2008, but still the second highest level in the commission’s history.
As in previous years, claims based on race, sex and retaliation were the most frequent.
Since the ADA was enacted in 1990, a series of Supreme Court rulings have generally exempted from its protections those with partial physical disabilites or impairments that can be treated with medication or devices such as hearing aids.
Legislation signed into law by President George W. Bush before he left office directs courts to apply the definition of disability more generously.
Charges of discrimination based on national origin rose by about 5% to 11,134 claims, while religious discrimination claims rose less than 1% to 3,386 claims. Allegations of race discrimination remained the most frequently filed complaint, accounting for about 36% of all filings last year.
The EEOC said the near-historic level of complaints overall may be due to a number of factors, including economic conditions, increased diversity and demographic shifts in the work force. Employees also may be more aware of their rights and could be taking advantage of changes at the EEOC to make it easier to file a discrimination charge.
The EEOC enforces federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination.
Source: Yahoo Finance, Equal opportunity Commission (http://www.eeoc.gov)
Even Americans who are lucky enough to have work in this economy are becoming more unhappy with their jobs, according to a new survey that found only 45% of Americans are satisfied with their work.
That was the lowest level ever recorded by the Conference Board research group in more than 22 years of studying the issue. In 2008, 49% of those surveyed reported satisfaction with their jobs.
The drop in workers’ happiness can be partly blamed on the worst recession since the 1930s, which has made it difficult for some people to find challenging and suitable jobs. But worker dissatisfaction has been on the rise for more than two decades.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) received 93,277 workplace discrimination claims in 2009, down 2.2% compared with the previous year, the agency said Wednesday, January 6.
The number of claims filed in 2009 was the second highest after 2008, the EEOC said, and monetary relief obtained for victims totaled more than $376 million, slightly lower than 2008’s $376.6 million.
“The latest data tell us that as the first decade of the 21st century comes to a close, the commission’s work is far from finished,” said Stuart J. Ishimaru, acting EEOC chairman, in a statement. “Employers must step up their efforts to foster discrimination-free and inclusive workplaces or risk enforcement and litigation by the EEOC.”
The number of charges alleging age-based discrimination in 2009 reached 22,772, the second highest ever after 2008. In 2009, monetary benefits awarded to victims from those charges reached $72 million, compared with nearly $83 million in 2008.
The most frequently filed discrimination allegations in 2009 were based on race (36%), retaliation (36%), and gender (30%), which the EEOC said followed recent trends. Some claims included two or more types of discrimination.
For information on 2009 enforcement and litigation statistics from the EEOC, visit www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/statistics/enforcement/index.cfm.
Source: Business Insurance, a sister publication of Workforce Management.
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