By Lynne Curry Question: When a long-term staffer passed away, we suddenly had a hard-to-fill position in our firm. We advertised, and when we got an acceptable candidate, offered him the position before completing reference checks. He’s already worked four days for us. What we’re learning from his references makes us worry we’ve selected the wrong candidate. Several … [Read more...] about We should have waited for the reference checks
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All private-sector employers with 100 or more employees must mandate vaccination or a weekly negative COVID-19 test
By Mike O'Brien President Biden spoke from the White House Sept. 9 to announce his new Path Out of the Pandemic Plan. Among other things, President Biden has instructed the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to develop rules that will require private-sector employers with 100 or more employees to mandate that their employees be vaccinated or receive a weekly … [Read more...] about All private-sector employers with 100 or more employees must mandate vaccination or a weekly negative COVID-19 test
Paid leave for vaccine tax credit updated & employer ups premiums for unvaccinated
By Mike O'Brien Update to the paid-leave tax credit expansion—paid leave for employees to receive a COVID-19 vaccine As previously described in these updates, the Treasury Department and the IRS announced that eligible employers could receive paid-leave tax credits under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) for providing leave for each employee receiving a COVID-19 … [Read more...] about Paid leave for vaccine tax credit updated & employer ups premiums for unvaccinated
We suspect our employees gave us phony vaccination cards
By Lynne Curry Question: Our senior leadership team couldn’t believe the hostility that erupted when we told our employees if they weren’t vaccinated by Sept. 15, we’d consider they had voluntarily resigned. Several of them emailed lengthy rants to every member of the management team. Others came into our offices crying and went home in tears. Then, like magic, the protests … [Read more...] about We suspect our employees gave us phony vaccination cards
Salaries and employment strong for Class of 2020, despite pandemic
Overall median salaries rose and private practice employment stayed strong for the Class of 2020, even as other key employment metrics declined due to the pandemic. The National Association for Law Placement, Inc. (NALP) has released its Employment for the Class of 2020 — Selected Findings, a synopsis of key findings from the upcoming annual Jobs & JDs: Employment and … [Read more...] about Salaries and employment strong for Class of 2020, despite pandemic
Creating the right spaces for your post-pandemic law office
Staff have returned to law offices this summer, with more likely return in the fall. But the pre-pandemic office design might not work anymore, with some staff continuing full-time telework, others opting for part-time presence in the office—and many accustomed to the freedom they enjoyed while working from home. Allwork.Space, a company that focuses on what it calls The … [Read more...] about Creating the right spaces for your post-pandemic law office
OSHA updates guidance to track the latest CDC mask recommendations
By Mike O’Brien The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has updated its COVID workplace safety guidance entitled, Protecting Workers: Guidance on Mitigating and Preventing the Spread of COVID-19 in the Workplace. OSHA’s latest update on Aug. 13 “reflect[s] the July 27, 2021 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) mask and testing recommendations … [Read more...] about OSHA updates guidance to track the latest CDC mask recommendations
Are we making a mistake to require our employees to get vaccinated?
By Lynne Curry Question: Your recent post reported that many employers, including Facebook, Google, Tyson Foods, the Walt Disney Company, Houston Methodist Medical Center, United Airlines, Cisco, DoorDash, the Washington Post and Frontier Airlines, require all onsite employees to get vaccinated. That same day, we learned the Pentagon would require all active-duty troops to … [Read more...] about Are we making a mistake to require our employees to get vaccinated?
Embrace on-job learning and listen to employees for more resilient teams
Leaders who encourage their employees to learn on the job and speak up with ideas and suggestions for change have teams that are more effective and resilient in the face of unexpected situations, according to new research from Rice University and the University of Windsor. "A Resource Model of Team Resilience Capacity and Learning" will appear in a special issue of Group & … [Read more...] about Embrace on-job learning and listen to employees for more resilient teams
COVID-19 delta variant: What managers need to do
By Lynne Curry You’ve heard. Now you need to act. If you had hoped the pandemic had faded away, you need to buckle down once more. The highly contagious Delta variant has caused illness and hospitalizations to rise. While it spreads primarily among the unvaccinated, no one is immune. Further, new variants could prove even more threatening. What does that mean to you as an … [Read more...] about COVID-19 delta variant: What managers need to do