The joint-employer definition set by the National Labor Relations Board, which was set to take effect today, has been postponed until March 11 by federal District Court Judge J. Campbell Barker, as part of a lawsuit challenging the rule. The lawsuit, filed by several groups including the National Restaurant Association's Restaurant Law Center, says the new definition that would make franchisors and franchisees jointly liable for labor violations, contradicts existing labor law. Full Story: Restaurant Business (2/23)
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Recruiting & Retention
Skills-based hiring hasn't changed who gets hired Though many companies have dropped the college-degree requirement from job postings, a new report from The Burning Glass Institute and Harvard Business School found that the type of people hired has mostly stayed the same. The report said, “the net effect is a change of only 0.14 percentage points in incremental hiring of candidates without degrees,” meaning companies still hire those with college degrees even with the dropped requirement. Full Story: Forbes (tiered subscription model) (2/25)
4 best practices for having hard conversations The first step for having tough conversations is to prepare how you want to broach the topic so as not to put employees on the defensive. Once you're face to face with the person, let them know immediately what the conversation is about and have empathy for the emotions they might feel. Finally, follow up in order to ensure progress comes about from the conversation. Full Story: Training magazine (2/19)
Supervising people who were coworkers until your recent promotion can feel awkward, but you can take specific actions to change the dynamic, consultant Alaina Love writes. Love's six-step solution includes having the uncomfortable conversations and setting expectations and timelines. Full Story: SmartBrief/Leadership (2/26)
SmartBreak: Question of the Day
Bayard Rustin was a key organizer of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, and his activism is central to a recent biopic. Which actor portrays Rustin?
I was sitting at my gate at Los Angeles International Airport when I got the call from Katharine telling me that three of our writers were unable to do their newsletters. “It’s that hurricane heading up the Carolinas,” she said. “They’re all losing power.” I sank back in my chair, exasperated. It was my first day on the job as manager of the Education group. I was headed to Las Vegas to cover a show; my flight was boarding in 10 minutes. I had no idea what the protocol was for this type of situation. I wasn’t even sure who to contact. I felt very inadequate. Part of that feeling stemmed from the realization that I was now in charge of people who, just three days prior, were my peers. On Friday, we were all online editors. On Monday, I was the director. It was an odd feeling and it was distracting me from coming up with a solution. Fortunately, Katherine came through. “Get on your flight,” she said. “I’ll call Janet and figure out what to do from here.” I breathed a sigh of relief. Perfect plan. “Thank you!” I said gratefully. “I’ll contact you when I land in Vegas.” Managing a team is challenging in and of itself. But when you go from being one of the team members to being the one in charge, it’s a whole new level of awkward. Alaina Love talks about this transition in today’s HR Leader story. I liked her tips, especially the one about uncomfortable conversations. These are hard, but they work. Done right, with honesty and respect, you earn trust. And trust is the cornerstone of healthy management. Have you experienced this type of transition? Let me know! And if you enjoy this brief, tell others so they can benefit also.
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