This Week at Work: An HR and Employment Law Show

Unions Gaining Steam

Unions’ backs are against the wall. In the case of Home Depot, they have employees coming out swinging. This week we cover the BIG NEWS coming out of Philadelphia as Home Depot faces their first ever union petition despite their significant efforts to remain union free.

Dealing with Difficult People in the Workplace

Difficult employees - WHY keep them, WHEN to terminate them, WHERE to protect yourself, and HOW to make it a positive for your organization. This probably causes the most headaches for HR professionals, because the workplace would be better without them, but there might not be good enough reasons to get rid of them. Join Phil and Burt as they discuss ways to encourage performance or properly handle situations that require separation.
3:03 - Poll - do you have a net negative contributor in your office? 
3:52 - Moving from annual to quarterly performance reviews 
9:24 - Employment at will and how that can help you get rid of a difficult person 
12:29 - Necessary documentation in a termination process 
16:17 - What to do when the employee doesn’t want to leave 
20:41 - How do you handle the high performer who creates problems in the workplace? 
23:50 - Are people retaining problem employees because it’s hard to find more talent? 
30:20 - Home Depot’s first ever union petition - teaser for next week

Inflation and Compensation: Helping Employees Cope

Most HR professionals have never managed an inflationary period like we face today. So Michael Maciekowich, National Director, Astron Solutions, is joining us to talk about inflation and compensation. Michael has experienced inflation cycles like this before, and his expert advice can help you meet your employees where they are. 
 
1:56 - Poll - How are other companies helping their employees cope with inflation? 
3:10 - Past inflation cycles and what we can learn from them 
9:39 - Are we heading into a recession? 
12:33 - Creating realistic budget projections 
18:31 - Why so many companies seem to not be addressing inflation 
20:50 - Best practices to address inflation for your employees 
24:03 - The pros and cons of hire-on bonuses

Millennials in the Workforce: Quiet Quitting and Gender Dysphoria as a Disability

Gender dysphoria is ruled a disability in a federal appeals court. What should you take away from it? The answer may be simpler than you think, even if you’re already confused about how it relates to the ADA’s exclusion of gender identity disorders. Also, Quiet Quitting is shifting to Loud and Proud! A TikTok video is inspiring a new wave of employees to “Act Their Wage”. Phil pumps the brakes on this “new” phenomenon. People managers have been dealing with it for years.
 
1:21 - Poll - will recruiting get easier or harder in the next 3-5 years? 
2:22 - Gender dysphoria is ruled a disability in a federal appeals court and what that means for employers 
12:53 - Dissenting opinion on the gender dysphoria case 
27:05 - Quiet quitting - what it really is and what you can do about it
29:50 - The data behind the quiet quitting movement - where did it start? 

Wayfinder HR Summit Take-Aways

Kris Gfell, Business Manager, HR Services at AAIM joins Phil today to talk about recruiting, employee engagement, and take-aways from the Wayfinder HR Summit. 

Apple Employees Petition to Protest Return-to-Office: Sounds Like Organizing

Between the student loan forgiveness and Apple employees petitioning to protest against returning to the office, there’s so much to cover! On the show today, Burt and Phil discuss how the student loan forgiveness will affect the job market and potentially your contract with employees. Also, the show offers guidance on how to respond if your employees begin organizing to petition against workplace policies, like returning to work. Listen to the show today for Phil and Burt’s take. 
 
4:41 - Thoughts and facts on student loan forgiveness 
10:41- How will student loan forgiveness affect employers? 
14:07 - Using the correct language in offer letters to avoid future issues 
17:22 - Poll question: how owners vs staff feel about working remotely 
18:53 - BREAKING NEWS - Apple employees are protesting the return to office
25:13 - How to handle tensions between employees and management

Recruiting, Retaining, and Engaging Top Talent

Employees and candidates control the job market in 2022, and in order to be competitive, companies are being pressured into offering hybrid or remote working setups. At the same time, CDC recommendations are relaxing, and there is pressure from executives to get people back into the office.  Phil and Burt discuss how to navigate the return to the office for organizations that are recruiting new talent, or who are working to retain and engage existing talent. 
1:20 - Poll - Getting a read on how employers are feeling about their current ability to recruit, retain, and engage their workforce 1:53 - Analyzing the attitudes towards remote and hybrid workforces3:14 - Thoughts on compromising with your employees in light of current CDC recommendations as nearly everyone prefers the option to work remotely11:08 - How to move a fully remote team to a hybrid or in-person work set up 14:00 - Considerations to take with pay and hiring practices with remote workers 22:09 - Is remote work a reasonable accommodation according to the ADA? 

The Inflation Reduction Act and SHRM Conference Takeaways

Phil and Burt discuss everything you need to know about the recent deal between Senators Manchin and Schumer (also known as the “Inflation Reduction Act” or the “Reconciliation Bill”). We take away sensationalism and politics, giving you the straightforward truth on the bill. But before diving into the bill in detail, they talk about some of the main topics being discussed at this year’s SHRM conference. 
 
1:00 - Takeaways from the SHRM conference 
2:53 - Why has it been so hard to attract talent lately? 
12:46 - What are other companies doing to improve their retention 
16:59 - The highlights of the Manchin and Schumer bill 
22:03 - Underlying intentions of the bill - supporting unions and clean energy

NLRB’s partnership with the DOJ and FTC

The NLRB's partnership with the DOJ and FTC, will bolster the focus on the  'gig economy', noncompetes, and other practices determined to harm workers. Are you at risk? Do you need to make changes? We come to you live from a fishing boat to share this breaking news, and to analyze what it might all mean for your organization. 
4:14 - Behind the scenes of the DOJ and NLRB partnership 
7:18 - Polling the listeners on the DOJ and NLRB partnership - are other HR professionals concerned? 
8:34 - Can employers deduct from an employee's paycheck if they don’t return equipment? 
13:08 - Is it ok to treat remote employees differently from on-site employees? 
17:06 - The NLRB and DOJ memorandum and the protections it offers for workers of the ‘gig economy’ 
21:05 - The precedent this sets for other regulatory agencies and how to protect yourself from potential litigation 
30:42 - The true intentions behind this memorandum - protecting the unions 

Employee Monitoring

Do you monitor your employees, and if so why?