Hr Works: The Podcast For Human Resources

In this episode, we discuss substance abuse. While always an issue, substance abuse becomes much more widespread and serious during crises. This crisis in particular offers an especially troubling environment for abuse. You may also listen here: https://bit.ly/3cc2Lcc Today’s episode is brought to you by The Standard, a family of businesses united by a shared purpose of compassion for their customers. The Standard’s Workplace Possibilities Program offers a proactive, whole-person approach to disability, helping employers provide customized solutions to help employees stay at work or return sooner. More information on this program can be found here: https://bit.ly/2RevH9U. We are joined by Dr. Dan Jolivet. Dan started working in the behavioral health field in 1980 as he was completing a degree in mathematical statistics and wanted to get some hands-on experience in an applied scientific discipline. Dan has held a variety of roles throughout his career. He has worked in inpatient hospitals, residential trea

In this episode, we go over the latest workplace COVID-19 testing strategies and capabilities. What types of tests exist and how available are they? What strategies are employers using, especially those that require workers on-site like mines and factories? What technologies are being developed and what will testing look like in the future? You may also listen here: https://bit.ly/2REpnbT This episode's guest, Rich Robillard, Managing Director at SBL Testing Technologies Inc. (https://sbltt.com/), helps answer these and other similar questions.

When I first took over this podcast, my very first guest was Ira Wolfe, and we talked about what HR might look like in 2025.  By all accounts, we were well on track to realize that future. But then the pandemic hit and that future has largely been changed. You may also listen here: https://bit.ly/350BEzc In this episode I am pleased to have Ira back with us to ask a few more follow up questions, including what will HR look like next year, and what will it look like by 2030 and 2035? Ira is the president of Success Performance Solutions (https://www.successperformancesolutions.com/), which excels in pre-employment testing software for sales, leadership, service, and production across a number of industries. In addition to being a blogger and prolific business writer, Ira is an accomplished speaker, having visited the stages of TEDx and DisruptHR. He has also published books such as The Perfect Labor Storm and Recruiting in the Age of Googlization: When the Shift Hits Your Plan.

According to our guest this week, retaliation claims surrounding COVID-19 are outpacing many other types of lawsuits. Are your managers well trained when it comes to avoiding retaliation suits? You can also listen to this episode here: https://bit.ly/32V5dzv This episode's guest is once again Maggie Spell (https://www.joneswalker.com/professionals/mary-margaret-spell.html), partner at the New Orleans location of Jones Walker (https://www.joneswalker.com/). Maggie focuses her practice on cases brought under federal, state, and local employment laws, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. She regularly offers wage and hour compliance advice and has represented employers in numerous Fair Labor Standards Act collective actions and state-law wage and hour class actions.

We recently did a special video interview for Women's Equality Day that we wanted to share with you. You can listen to it here, but if you want to watch the video, check it out here: https://bit.ly/3gQnG5m Music: www.bensound.com

When the pandemic first hit the United States, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) was passed to help protect American citizens. The FFCRA has been in effect for some time since then, and employment lawsuits have begun hitting the courts. You can also listen here: https://bit.ly/3gWirRB In this episode, we are going to go over some of the hot-spots surrounding the FFCRA with returning guest Maggie Spell (https://www.joneswalker.com/professionals/mary-margaret-spell.html), partner at the New Orleans location of Jones Walker (https://www.joneswalker.com). Maggie focuses her practice on cases brought under federal, state, and local employment laws, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. She regularly offers wage and hour compliance advice and has represented employers in numerous Fair Labor Standards Act collective actions and state-law wage and hour class actions. Please join us next Friday when we'll b

The early effects of the pandemic on the workforce saw many businesses close, and many others take extreme measures to survive, including downsizing, cutting pay, and reducing or eliminating benefits. Our guests today believe that getting a better handle on your people costs and benefits can help organizations be less draconian in their approach to surviving the ongoing pandemic. We are pleased to have Peter Newhouse with us in this episode. Peter joined Unilever (https://www.unilever.com/) in September 2010 as Global Head of Reward and a member of the Unilever HR Leadership Team, having previously worked as a senior executive at Ford in North America and as Group Head of Remuneration at Standard Chartered Bank in London.  Having graduated with a Law degree, Peter started his career in Reward in 1980 when he joined the American consulting company Organization Resources Counselors Inc (ORC). As well as developing the Reward consultancy services of MM&K, specialists in executive and incentive compensation, Pe

Unfortunately, COVID-19 has invited a new wave of discrimination, particularly against pregnant women, employees over the age of 65, and those of Chinese or Asian heritage. There are other issues as well, including managing discrimination while employees are working remotely. As your organization meets the other challenges of COVID-19, make sure you are not accidentally discriminating against these and other protected classes. In this episode, we are pleased to with us attorney Barry Hartstein (https://www.littler.com/people/barry-hartstein), Shareholder and Co-Chair of the EEO & Diversity Practice Group at Littler (https://www.littler.com/) in Chicago. Barry has earned a national reputation for a career that includes more than 30 years of counseling and representing employers in a broad range of labor and employment matters. He is a frequent writer, commentator and lecturer on workplace issues. He also has extensive experience as a litigator and has defended employers nationwide in individual and class act

Last time on HR Works COVID-19 Update we began to explore the many new types of wage and hour lawsuits that might be coming your way in light of the pandemic. This week we'll hear from a lawyer that specializes in these types of cases to discuss where she is seeing new lawsuits, what they look like, and what might happen going forward. We are pleased to have back on the show Maggie Spell (https://www.joneswalker.com/professionals/mary-margaret-spell.html), Partner at the New Orleans location of Jones Walker (https://www.joneswalker.com/offices/new-orleans.html) with us. In this episode, she helps us unpack some of the most common pandemic-induced wage and hour violations. Maggie focuses her practice on cases brought under federal, state, and local employment laws, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. She regularly offers wage and hour compliance advice and has represented employers in numerous Fair Labor Standards Act

This episode strives to answer one important question: can COVID-19 testing play an effective role in bringing workers back to the workplace? New information and data about the disease are available every day and with it comes changes in best practices for keeping everyone safe. Meanwhile, many employers are bringing workers back to the workplace and they need to understand the most current testing methods and strategies to keep everyone safe. Our guest is at the forefront of putting together testing strategies and packages for employers as they navigate this challenging time. Dr. Sree Chaguturu is the Chief Medical Officer for CVS Caremark (https://www.caremark.com). His organization is striving to put together strategies and testing capabilities for employers. In this episode, we'll explore what kinds of testing is now and will be available in the future. We'll look at how each can be used most effectively, and where the limitations are. We'll also look at the role of vaccines when they come around, and w

Imagine this: your employees have been working with a wage cut for the last few months. But there is good news! Your business has recovered enough for you to restore their pay. Not only that, but you also want to make them whole, so you pay everyone a bonus on top of restoring their pay. Did you know that you may have just committed at least three wage and hour violations? Wage and hour laws have always been complex, and the pandemic has added new layers of complexity. Fortunately, we are lucky to have Maggie Spell, Partner at the New Orleans location of Jones Walker (https://www.joneswalker.com/offices/new-orleans.html) with us. In this episode, she helps us unpack some of the most common pandemic-induced wage and hour violations. Maggie focuses her practice on cases brought under federal, state, and local employment laws, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. She regularly offers wage and hour compliance advice and h

Last week we began to explore employer liability when it comes to COVID-19-related issues. Today we are going to dive in a little deeper, and answer some very important questions like can you force employees to take a COVID-19 test? What about antibody tests? Can you measure their temperatures? Can you make them wear a mask? What happens if they don’t comply; can you fire them? Here to talk about these and other legal issues is employment lawyer and member of Clark Hill (https://www.clarkhill.com) in Collin County Texas, Kim Moore. Kim Moore has been pragmatically solving employer’s problems for almost twenty-five years. A board-certified employment lawyer with an MBA and extensive experience in and out of the courtroom. Kim is passionate about achieving the client’s goals in non-compete, theft of trade secrets, discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and wage and hour matters. Kim genuinely enjoys her work, particularly understanding each client’s business and its people. Kim serves as the Member in Cha

While the pandemic has influenced every worker in the united states, it has not done so evenly. Already there are serious differences between essential workers who stay on the front lines and those who were lucky enough to work from home. In short, the country is in total chaos. Some states are closing down for the first time, some are opening back up, others are ignoring their very serious coronavirus issues. Perhaps most disturbingly, many organizations and political figures have been moving towards an “economy matters more than lives” attitude that will put serious burdens on the most vulnerable. According to experts I’ve spoken with and research I’ve read, among the most vulnerable are women of color, particularly single mothers of color. On top of all of the coronavirus-related concerns have also been the rising racial tensions in this country that add another whole layer of uncertainty and unrest to this already unsustainable situation. Here to help us understand the situation, and how HR can help, i

As the landscape of work changes, so will the landscape of employment law. Across our nation, some states are closing down while others are opening up. That creates a lot of variability in how employers approach keeping everyone safe and the return to work. What are the liabilities? How can they keep up when best practices change constantly? Will due diligence help when, retroactively, employers realize they got something wrong. Here to talk about these and other legal issues is employment lawyer and member of Clark Hill (https://www.clarkhill.com) in Collin County Texas, Kim Moore. Kim Moore has been pragmatically solving employer's problems for almost twenty-five years. A board-certified employment lawyer with an MBA and extensive experience in and out of the courtroom. Kim is passionate about achieving the client's goals in non-compete, theft of trade secrets, discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and wage and hour matters. Kim genuinely enjoys her work, particularly understanding each client's busi

The major win for DACA recipients a few weeks ago made the news for how unexpected it was. However, the issue is far from solved. In this episode, we discuss what you need to know about supporting your DACA workers right now before things change. We are pleased to have back with us today, Jonathan Petts, Co-Founder of a non-profit organization called Immigrants Like Us (https://www.immigrantslikeus.org/). In this episode, he helps us understand where things stand right now with DACA and what resources HR needs to have to best serve this vulnerable, hardworking group of people. You can view their DACA renewal guide here: https://www.immigrantslikeus.org/immigration-resources/how-to-renew-your-daca-2020 Jonathan is the proud husband and son of American immigrants. Prior to co-founding Immigrants Like Us, Jonathan practiced at two international law firms and graduated from both law school and college at the University of Pennsylvania. He has served as an advisor on international law to both the IMF and the Wor

In this special episode of HR Works Podcast, my colleague Justin Scace from the EHS On Tap Podcast (https://ehsdailyadvisor.blr.com/podcasts/) joins me to interview an EHS and an HR professional from one of the largest private companies in the United States: Koch Industries, Incorporated (https://www.kochind.com/). Our collective goal is to better understand how EHS and HR work together, overcome challenges, and otherwise collaborate to make their workplace safe during a crisis. Our guests are Walt Malone, VP of HR for Koch, and Sheryl Corrigan, director of environmental, health, and safety for Koch. Walt Malone joined Koch in 1991 and is responsible for Koch Industries’ corporate human resources team and the global Market-Based Management capability which provides training and development services to Koch companies. He serves on the boards of Georgia-Pacific Equity Holdings LLC and Koch Business Solutions, LP, both subsidiaries of Koch Industries. Walt, welcome, and thank you for joining us for today’s s

Between general travel restrictions, anti-immigrant travel restrictions, massive unemployment, closed businesses, and now the recently announced ban on certain foreign national visas, immigrant workers in the U.S. are undergoing particularly challenging times. They are not the only ones feeling the pain; employers of foreign national workers are also struggling. In this episode we are pleased to have with us Jonathan Petts, Co-Founder of a non-profit organization called Immigrants Like Us (https://www.immigrantslikeus.org/) to help us understand the immigrant perspective so that HR managers and employers alike can have a better context for when they interact with immigrant workers in general but especially during this challenging time. Jonathan is the proud husband and son of American immigrants. Prior to co-founding Immigrants Like Us, Jonathan practiced at two international law firms and graduated from both law school and college at the University of Pennsylvania. He has served as an advisor on internati

In this episode I speak with a highly respected authority on the psychology of change about the return to work. Many have adjusted to the new realities presented by the coronavirus, and yet states and workplaces alike are reopening their doors. What does that mean for those of us who stayed home? What if we don’t want to go back? What if we can’t? Can it even be done safely and does anyone else feel like this is being rushed. We are pleased to have with us today Michelle Rozen PhD (https://www.drmichellerozen.com/). She is an author, a Huffington Post contributor, and a frequent guest on NBC, ABC, FOX News, CNN, and other media outlets. Dr. Rozen holds a Masters and a PhD in Psychology. She consistently speaks for Fortune 500 companies and her clients include some of the most recognizable companies in the world including Johnson & Johnson, Merrill Lynch, and The U.S. Navy.

Now more than months into the pandemic, we are starting to see the first COVID-related employee lawsuits. Last week we began to discuss which employee policies need to be updated or created to handle new legal challenges surrounding the coronavirus. For example, we recently saw a wrongful death and survival action for the coronavirus related fatality of an employee who worked in a Pennsylvania meat processing plat for the world’s largest beef processing company. We are pleased have back with us for this episode attorney Andrew B. Zelman (https://www.bergersingerman.com/team/andrew-b-zelman), Partner at Berger Singerman, a business law firm out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. In this episode, we will discuss what happens when an employee refuses to return to work as well as what Andrew is seeing in terms of new lawsuits surrounding COVID-19. Andrew Zelman is a member of the Dispute Resolution Team based in Berger Singerman’s Fort Lauderdale office. He represents businesses and individuals in a variety of compl

COVID-19 has changed everything, but has your employee handbook been updated? In this episode of HR Works COVID-19 Update, my guest discusses the critical policy updates that your organization needs to make in order to avoid an upcoming wave of coronavirus-related litigation. Now three months into the pandemic, we are starting to see the first COVID-related employee lawsuits. For example, the world’s largest beef processing company is facing a wrongful death and survival action for the coronavirus related fatality of an employee who worked in one of their Pennsylvania factories. If history is any guide, this is likely the tip of the iceberg. Employers beware! We are pleased to with us today attorney Andrew B. Zelman (https://www.bergersingerman.com/team/andrew-b-zelman), Partner at Berger Singerman, a business law firm out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Andrew Zelman is a member of their Dispute Resolution Team . He represents businesses and individuals in a variety of complex commercial disputes, including