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Monday, September 13, 2010
Focus on Ten Mistakes, Eliminate 90% of Problems
Sometimes it seems that there are one thousand ways to go wrong managing people, but attorney Peter Janus suggests that 10 critical errors cause most of the problems.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010
'Best of Intentions' Mistakes Managers Make
In yesterday's Advisor, we discussed the first five major mistakes managers and supervisors—even with the best intentions—make. Today, more of Peter Janus's tips, and a tip of our own about that nemesis of HR, job descriptions.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Healthcare Reform & HR: One "Checkup" You Shouldn't Miss
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) has passed but left many implementation details unclarified, says Michael P. Aitken. Significant regulatory process will continue for years, he adds.

Thursday, September 16, 2010
Will You Pay a Penalty Under PPACA?
In yesterday's Advisor, we featured attorney Michael Faillace's suggestions for avoiding the first prong of retaliation charges. Today, the second and third prongs, and an introduction to an extraordinary 10-minute-at-a-time training program.

Friday, September 17, 2010
#1 Rule of Holiday Party Planning: Avoid Lawsuits
The holiday party—a traditional HR role that sounds simple, but can quickly turn into an expensive legal disaster. "With the let-loose attitude of holiday parties, employers often disregard the liabilities involved, especially when alcohol is being served." says attorney Christopher J. Boman.

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Did you know that our HR.BLR.com website has a section where professionals like you can ask or talk about anything you like, and comment on each other's thoughts? It's free, open to all, and crackling with ideas, so check it out. Here's what's being talked about this week...

Unpaid Vacation vs. Holiday Pay

Applicants with Study Abroad Experience

Translating an Employee Handbook

Exhausted FMLA, ADA, and Commissions


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HR.BLR.com - Providing Answers and Advice to your HR Problems 24/7
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I-9 Compliance: A Shift in Focus to Employer's Recordkeeping, Documentation, & Employment Practices
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. (PST)
11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. (MST)
12:30 to 2:00 p.m. (CST)
1:30 to 3:00 p.m. (EST)

As the immigration debate heats up, employers need to pay special attention to their employment documentation and recordkeeping. Already, the Obama administration has put into place worksite enforcement policies that have shifted liability away from undocumented workers onto the employer. Squarely on the shoulders of companies—not employees—is the responsibility, and the feds and their fines await if you fail.

LEARN MORE

With a renewed focus and funding, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will be doing more investigations than ever. And most businesses aren't entirely sure they are doing the right thing. What documents are acceptable? When do you need two documents? Should you photocopy? Just one reporting oversight of even the most well-intentioned company can draw the attention of ICE. Once they are on your doorstep, it's too late.

Join us on September 21 for an in-depth webinar with an expert speaker on the topic of immigration—including I-9 compliance and audits. Be sure to include your supervisors and managers so they are up to speed with your I-9 enforcement policies.

REGISTER NOW

You and your colleagues will learn:


The most up-to-date legal requirements that employers must abide by for the I-9 Form and E-Verify
The best strategies for developing and reviewing your I-9 enforcement policies in compliance with the new administration's focus
Best practices and legally acceptable ways to verify documentation
How to complete the I-9 Form to be in compliance with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
The ins and outs of E-Verify and why there is a push by ICE to use it
The most common errors that can result in ICE scrutiny and fines

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This program has been approved for 1.5 recertification credit hours toward PHR and SPHR recertification through the Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI). For more information about certification or recertification, please visit the HRCI homepage at www.hrci.org. The use of this seal is not an endorsement by HRCI of the quality of the program. It means that this program has met HRCI's criteria to be pre-approved for recertification credit


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2010 Update Now Available
Spot and correct compliance problems before they become costly lawsuits. You get checklists on HR policies, job descriptions, safety and OSHA, compensation programs, hiring practices, performance measurement, and much, much more.
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Upcoming Webinars

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I-9 Compliance: A Shift in Focus to Employer's Recordkeeping, Documentation, & Employment Practices

Tuesday, September 21, 2010
10:30 a.m.—12:00 p.m. (PST)
11:30 a.m.—1:00 p.m. (MST)
12:30 p.m.—2:00 p.m. (CST)
1:30 p.m.—3:00 p.m. (EST)


Join us on September 21 for an in-depth webinar with an expert speaker on the topic of immigration—including I-9 compliance and audits. Be sure to include your supervisors and managers so they are up to speed with your I-9 enforcement policies.

REGISTER NOW

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Family & Medical Leave Compliance Guide
This comprehensive resource is the Rx for your #1 HR headache. Helping you keep tabs on the changing law. Includes full explanation, pre-written forms, free updates and quarterly newsletter.
Learn more

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What to Do About Personnel Problems in [Your State]
For over 20 years, human resource managers have relied on this practical state employment laws resource to understand and stay on top of ever-changing employment regulations in their states. No wonder we've heard so many nice names for What to Do About Personnel Problems—we've even been called the "HR Bible"!
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Job Interview Tips: How to Interview Potential Employees as republished by Xochitl at X Corp Consulting in Hermosa Beach, CA

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•More Job Interview Questions for Employers
The job interview is a powerful factor in the employee selection process in most organizations. While the job interview may not deserve all of the attention that the job interview receives, it is still a powerful force in hiring.

Other background checking and work history references provide much less personalized and more factual information, and hopefully, you have added these checks to your hiring decisions, too. But the job interview remains key to assessing the candidate's cultural fit. The job interview remains the tool you can use to get to know your candidate on a more personal basis. The job interview process helps other employees “own” the new employee who joins your organization.

1. What to Look for in an Effective Resume Cover Letter as republished by X Corp Consulting in Hermosa Beach, CA

1. What to Look for in an Effective Resume Cover Letter


Resume cover letters ought to matter to employers. Resume cover letters are reviewed first by the potential employer who is looking for reasons in the resume cover letter and resume to rule out the application. As an employer, you are also seeking the resume and resume cover letter that describe the candidate who will best fill your position. A thoughtful resume cover letter tells you that the candidate took the time to customize his application to fit your needs.
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2. Interview Thank You Letters
What's important about an interview thank you letter or email from each candidate you interview? Lots. Especially if you use each interaction with the candidate to assess his or her cultural fit within your organization, these interview thank you letters add one more piece to the puzzle. And, it is a puzzle you piece together from all of the information you obtain from each step in your hiring process.
3. Job Offer Letters
Copyright Constantin KammererThe job offer letter is provided to the candidate you have selected for the position. Most frequently, the candidate and the organization have verbally negotiated the conditions of hire and the job offer letter confirms the verbal agreements. These sample job offer letters include an executive job offer letter, a mid-career job offer letter, an early career job offer letter, and a sales job offer letter.
4. Candidate Rejection Letter
Pinnacle Picture / Getty ImagesSending a candidate rejection letter to the applicants who were not selected for the job is an extra, but positive step, your company can take to build good will with candidates and establish yourself as an employer of choice. A candidate rejection letter may momentarily make the candidate sad, but it's better for both the employer and the candidate to share official notification. Plus, in an effective candidate rejection letter, you can indicate whether you have ongoing interest despite the fact that you had a more qualified candidate that you hired for this job.
5. How to Write an Employee Recognition Letter
Sheer Photo Inc. / Getty ImagesA simple thank you letter, that recognizes specific employee contributions, goes a long way in helping employees feel recognized and rewarded. These sample employee recognition letters give you examples of both formal and informal employee recognition letters.
6. Sample Resignation Letter
When an employee notifies the employer that he or she wishes to terminate their employment with your company, you will want to ask for a letter of resignation or resignation letter. The resignation letter provides you with an official document for the employee’s personnel file that demonstrates the employment ending was employee initiated.
7. Sample Resignation Letter With Future Plans
This resignation letter supplies the employer with both the resignation and the reasons why the employee has decided to accept employment with another employer.
More Human Resources Samples
•Sample Human Resources Policies, Checklists, and Forms
•Sample Interview Questions and Job Interview Tips
•Human Resources and Management OneStop Center
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What employees want... As republished by X Corp Consulting in Hermosa Beach, CA

TNN

Only progressive firms are able to retain their best employees. A recently released survey provides some valuable HR learnings on employee retention.

At the NASSCOM – HR summit, in a survey done among 200 respondents (read: IT professionals, HR professionals and independent consultants), a lot of interesting insights were derived.

The growing awareness about CSR initiatives in the IT industry became evident when close to 80 per cent of the participants acknowledged its impact on employee engagement.

CSR programmes were cited as one of the most effective and impactful tools through which an organisation can ensure employee engagement.

What It Takes To Run A Sound Commercial Bank as republished by X Corp Consulting in Hermosa Beach, CA

Joe DePaolo has a good recipe for building a bank fast: Find great bankers and pay them well.


In 1999 Joseph DePaolo, then managing director of consumer banking at Republic National Bank, fidgeted in his office chair while a senior officer of HSBC, the British giant that had just bought Republic, gazed out DePaolo's window. "Edmund Safra started this bank in 1965," the HSBC exec mused, referring to the Lebanese billionaire who built Republic into a $50 billion (assets) institution. "I can't imagine starting a bank today." Indeed, commercial banks were consolidating into giants and the tech bubble was about to burst.

DePaolo gulped. "I'm sitting there thinking, 'Oh my god, I'm resigning in three days to go start a bank,'" he says now.

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Yahoo! BuzzWhat DePaolo lacked in timing he made up for in strategy. After spending 11 years establishing Republic's business in New York, he was convinced there was room for a bank that catered mainly to entrepreneurs, lawyers and closely held companies. Their big attraction: They tend to carry $5 million in their checking accounts, not $500. "These are people who might be worth $30 million, but it's all tied up in their business," says DePaolo, 51.

Thanks to that rich deposit base and a distaste for dicey mortgage-backed securities and commercial real estate loans, Signature Bank ( SBNY - news - people ) has grown to $10 billion in assets and 23 offices around New York. In the quarter ended Mar. 31 publicly held Signature's annualized return on equity (11%) was more than double the average for banks with more than $1 billion in assets, according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.

DePaolo grew up in the Bronx and got an accounting degree from Iona College in New Rochelle, N.Y. After seven years with Peat Marwick he took a job in the bowels of Republic as an internal auditor--the kind of guy, he quips, that "most entrepreneurs think of as a necessary evil." When HSBC moved in, DePaolo started planning his escape. He had a strong backer in Scott Shay, then a partner of Lewis Ranieri, pioneer of the very mortgage-backed securities DePaolo assiduously avoids. Shay arranged for Hapoalim, Israel's largest bank, to provide the capital and back-office systems to get Signature going.

Signature has never advertised and has a minimal marketing budget. Instead DePaolo poaches veteran bankers with fat client rosters. He started at Republic: Fourteen months after he handed in his resignation, 65 Republic bankers did the same and gathered for a cocktail party at Club 101 in New York, where DePaolo doled out their new business cards. He dubbed the mass defection "Project Normandy." (HSBC sued, and the case was settled a few months later on undisclosed terms.)


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Post a CommentWhy leave a big bank for a small one? Signature pays well. John Gonzalez, among the original HSBC turncoats, began his career at Chase Manhattan in 1976 and eventually was managing a private banking office for HSBC in Manhattan. Gonzalez has a knack for reeling in prosperous Midtown law firms and private companies. But he was worried HSBC would parcel out his customers among its various divisions and jumped when DePaolo offered him a job. Does he make more at Signature? "Unequivocably," Gonzalez says with emphasis, though he won't disclose more.

DePaolo, who took home $1.7 million in cash and stock last year, says there are years when some of his best lieutenants earn more than he does. Pay is based on such performance measures as the profitability of accounts and customer retention. There's plenty of money to spread around: Signature netted $100,000 per employee last year, versus an average $6,800 by its competitors.

With the right squad, DePaolo figures Signature can grow to $20 billion in assets by feasting on deposits in New York City. "Everybody has been here since the beginning and knows the plan," he says. "It's a simple plan."

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Maine Fire Department Pays $850K to Settle Sexual Harassment

As republished by Xochitl Boehm at X Corp Consulting
By Coby Daniel C. Stockford

The long-running saga of sexual harassment in the City of Westbrook Fire Department has come to an end with large settlement payments to two female firefighters. Under the settlement agreement, firefighter Kathy Rogers is set to receive about $480,000, while her colleague, Lisa Theberge, will receive about $370,000.

Rogers and Theberge filed complaints against the city with the Maine Human Rights Commission in 2008 alleging more than 100 separate incidents of sexual harassment involving 20 fire department employees. Last October, they filed a lawsuit against the city, the mayor, and the city manager in federal district court in Portland. They alleged that the city failed to take prompt and effective action to address their numerous allegations of sexual harassment and that they suffered retaliation for complaining.


These large settlement payments serve as a reminder that employers can face very real financial consequences from allegations of harassment and retaliation in the workplace. An effective and strategic response to harassment issues is essential to limit your organization’s liability. Although Westbrook recently has implemented significant organizational changes in response to this lawsuit, the city and its insurance carrier no doubt regret that more forceful and effective action wasn’t taken earlier to address the alleged harassment.

We’ll have more analysis of this case and the lessons to be learned from it in the October issue of Maine Employment Law Letter.

Daniel Stockford is an editor of Maine Employment Law Letter and a partner with Brann & Isaacson in Lewiston.

Employment Law Cases
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