Garrison, who presented a session at BLR’s 2017 Advanced Employment Issues Symposium (AEIS) titled #Protecting Information Systems , noted that social media is a powerful marketing and public relations tool for companies. He also warned that social media use by employees may result unexpected liabilities such as the loss of intellectual property and trade secrets, claims of defamation, security breaches, privacy issues, and discrimination or harassment complaints. MORE

In other news , this week President Trump named Philip Miscimarra acting head of the National Labor Relations Board. Here’s what else I read this week: Discrimination. Accommodating Employees’ Mental Health Conditions Presents Unique Challenges — via Iowa Employment Law Blog. HR & Employee Relations. Employee is Having an Affair With the Boss — via HR Bartender. via Who Is My Employee? MORE

When businesses go through a crisis resulting in abnormal (or interrupted) operations and significant economic challenges, many companies look to their compensation budgets as an obvious means of cutting costs. Creative compensation strategies for struggling businesses in crisis. MORE

However, despite the fact that women now make up half of the workforce, overt disparities still exist, including the ever-present pay gap and an imbalanced representation of women in executive or leadership roles. MORE

Here’s what I read this week: Discrimination. Sometimes hiring discrimination is committed by a bigot—and sometimes it’s by standardized test — via Workplace Fairness. HR & Employee Relations. “I What happens when an employee refuses to sign a discipline notice? — How Weak Are Employee “Nondisclosure Agreements”? Professional Cheerleader Case Presents Independent Contractor and Joint Employer Lessons — via Employment Class Action Blog. MORE

One of the more talked about trends in employee relations and new ways of working is unlimited vacation. Touted as the best way to treat employees unlimited vacation supposedly focuses on productivity rather than time. As long as an employee has their assignments done they can take off any amount of time they desire. It doesn’t work for hourly employees working in a production environment. With salaried exempt employees time worked doesn’t matter. MORE

The HR generalist thus covers most of the HR functions , including hiring, compensation and benefits, HR administration, and other tasks. Some companies keep the title to describe a person that performs the core people-related functions in the organization. Because recruiting is so visible, and every employee goes through this process, many people equate HR with recruiting. Employee Relations. Discrimination/harassment investigations. Firing employees. MORE

Conduct an annual review of your company policies and procedures to ensure your employee handbook manual is compliant with existing and new laws. Employee Files and Records. Create and store employee files and records in a locked and secure cabinet. Compensation & Benefits. MORE

And, for the second straight year, I am thrilled to be one of the more than 50 industry leaders chosen to present. In this session, you will learn the most important steps you can take right now to train your employees on effective cybersecurity awareness, to place your company in the best position to protect against a costly data breach. Discrimination. Employees as Brand Ambassadors on the new LinkedIn Company Pages — via Blogging4Jobs. HR & Employee Relations. MORE

More than 18,000 people registered for Paycor’s two-day online Rise Web Summit, held in February, where industry experts offered advice on all things HR, from employee engagement to hot button compliance issues. The Humble Employee Handbook is Actually an Important Risk Prevention Tool. There’s no legal requirement to issue an employee handbook, so why bother? It is not discrimination—but be careful because it can be. Don’t Underestimate Employee Engagement. MORE

When an employee asks you for a pay raise, it’s easy to feel taken off guard. Let your compensation philosophy guide you. If employees are frequently approaching you and inquiring about raises, the most likely culprit is that you lack a solid compensation philosophy. A compensation philosophy defines what’s important at your company when it comes to managing pay. Listen to your employees’ pay concerns. Move forward with improved employee relations. MORE

In the name of equal time, I present the set from Donovan’s recent School of Rock performance. Discrimination. The “Onionhead” case: Fringe beliefs and reverse religious discrimination by employers — via Robin Shea’s Employment & Labor Insider. Seventh Circuit Vacates Panel Determination That Title VII Does Not Prohibit Sexual Orientation Discrimination and Grants Rehearing En Banc — via Financial Services Employment Law. HR & Employee Relations. MORE