Editor’s Note

Staying compliant with company and federal regulations is an important part of a growing movement in today’s workplace. However, numerous companies have not yet made this step in the right direction. Compliance can have a wide range of implications including company policy and federal law as well as dealings with clients, competitors, and colleagues. Compliance training is a way to keep the business out of negative dealings.

Legal and Compliance Excellence November 2015 Advertisers

Are Contractors Your Real Employees?: NLRB explores the meaning of joint-employer concept

In a move that unions have long sought and employers, particularly franchise operations, have long feared, a recent party-line decision by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) vastly expanded the definition of an “employer” under federal labor law. The Board redefined what it means to be a “joint employer” and in so doing made Browning-Ferris Industries the joint employer of the employees of one of its subcontractors, making it equally liable for its subcontractor’s labor law violations and exposing it to the possibility of being forced to negotiate with a union representing those same employees.

Privacy Training: Why HR professionals should promote it

When privacy hits the news, it’s generally because something’s gone wrong. Some giant retailer has had a breach. Another company is collecting data they shouldn’t. And yet, another company is using data in a way that violates their customers or employees’ sense of privacy. It’s probably easy, as an HR professional working in an office far away from Silicon Valley, to think that privacy is someone else’s problem.

Social Media Policies: The NLRB giveth and the FTC taketh away

If we could impart one lesson to employers in the advertising industry about their social media policies, it would be: The National Labor Relations Act giveth and the Federal Trade Commission’s Endorsement Guides taketh away. As explained below, the former applies to all employers, but the latter is a special concern of the advertising industry.

Equality Act: How does it helps create diverse workplaces?

Disability Awareness Day was observed on July 10, 2015.. It is also 20 years since the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA) introduced the statutory obligation for employers to make reasonable adjustments in respect of disabled employees, now enshrined in the Equality Act 2010 (EqA). This remains a central plank of an employer’s strategy to attract and retain disabled employees.

Parental Leave: Netflix goes unlimited

Compared to some European countries, granted, that doesn’t seem all that radical. However, the US is one of only three countries, alongside Oman and Papua New Guinea that does not offer its citizens any paid maternity leave, much less paternity leave. In fact, 41% of American workers are not even entitled to unpaid maternity leave. Within that context, Netflix’s move is pretty radical.

Employees’ Open Enrollment: Improve it with enhanced benefits education

It's the time of the year again for employees across the country to make their benefits decision for the upcoming year. Although, this is one of the most important decisions for workers to make, many spend little time researching their available benefits options, which is why it's vital for human resources professionals to market benefits packages to ensure the workforce is prepared to make the best decisions. Since benefits aren't "one size fits all" human resources managers and employers need to retool employee benefits education and communication based on the needs of the workforce.

Compliant Documentation: Supporting your talent management decisions

Whether an employer is being faced with an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charge investigation or The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) compliance review, having proper records to back up personnel and employment decisions is essential. Employers, however, often make decisions with little or no documentation to justify their practices. Management is left to rely on the memory of the person who made the decision, that is, if the employee is even still working for the employer at the time of the investigation or review.

Workplace Violence: Some pointers on how it can be avoided

This article provides some pointers on how to avoid workplace violence and prevent violent incidents happening in the workplace. First, it should be noted that early signs of potential workplace violence should not be ignored and should not be left for another day. For instance, when workers demand higher compensation and threaten aggressively, the HR department and the Labor officer must immediately take note of the situation and try to resolve it at the earliest.