MHA's Society for Human Resources Administration

Coalition: NLRB lacks authority to require proposed notice

The American Hospital Association and its American Society for Healthcare Human Resources Administration on Feb. 22 joined other members of the Coalition for a Democratic Workplace to submit comments on a proposed National Labor Relations Board rule that would require 6 million employers covered by the National Labor Relations Act to post a notice describing employee rights under the Act. “This is a massive and unprecedented assertion of the Board’s jurisdiction in millions of workplaces where employees have not elected to be represented by a union and where there is no allegation of any unfair labor practice,” the letter states.

Among other concerns, the coalition notes that the proposed rule would impose significant penalties for failure to post the notice, which under the proposed rule would constitute an independent unfair labor practice. “The Board simply does not have authority to impose these obligations and penalties against an employer when there has been no finding (or even an allegation) of an unfair labor practice,” the letter said.

10 key tips for recession-proofing your HR department

As an HR pro, you may have had to guide managers through tough decisions about which functions, jobs and people must be preserved as your organization digs in to survive tough economic times. Don’t neglect your own department! The skills you use to help others can be invaluable for maintaining HR effectiveness during the downturn.

Some tips for weathering a downturn are available here.

HR Paperwork: How can you toss the clutter ... but keep your lawsuit-proof "armor"?

Maintaining personnel records used to be a whole lot simpler. In fact, any HR department that wanted to be absolutely safe on the subject simply issued a “keep everything” policy.

Who knew those were the good old days? Today, that same “keep everything” strategy can cost you as much as a lawsuit. Maybe even more.

That’s because the Federal Trade Commission’s “disposal rule” says you’ve got to get rid of certain data on job applicants’ records on a certain timetable. Just one mistake qualifies as a violation and the FTC won’t be shy about slapping you with a civil fine of up to $2,500. That little mistake could even get supersized into a nightmarish class-action lawsuit. (Have fun explaining that to your boss or the board!)

Read more here.

Five of the Biggest Hospital Employment Trends in 2010

Here are five significant trends that affected hospital employment in 2010.