Winning Work Teams Blog

While the high water mark of the U.S. labor movement has long since passed, we  tip our hat to the history of the U.S. labor movement to improve working conditions here in the U.S.  Minimum wage standards, workplace safety considerations, employee benefits systems and the like all arose through the efforts of the labor movement to improve the lives of  U.S. workers.

Labor Day, recognized on the first Monday in September, became a national holiday under the pen of President Grover Cleveland in 1894.  Picnics and parades have become common forms of celebration for more than 100 years to recognize the U.S. worker.

As strategic Orlando Human Resources consultants, we believe the U.S. worker cannot be matched anywhere in the world.  We hope the ecomomy gets back on track sooner rather than later.  There are way too many good folks looking for work.

Our best wishes for a happy Labor Day 2010!

Rick and Christina

As strategic Orlando Human Resources business consultants, we could not help but note the recent wage-hour activity at Walt Disney Parks and Resorts wherein the mega destination resort agreed to pay more than $400 thousand to resolve alledged pay violations with respect to hourly employees.  

The Mouse has a solid HR team and is legendary for its training programs. Why then, the glitch? 

The U.S.  Department of Labor stated that while Disney has firmly established pay rules, some supervisors were not always adhering to the policies sometimes allowing hourly employees to work through meal times without compensation or to work before or after scheduled shifts without being paid.

As we noted in our August 21 Blog posting, employment claims under the Americans with Disabilities Act  just hit a record level.   And now a top- tier company in our own backyard has just been hit with wage claims.   

To repeat ourselves, these are tough economic times. Keep your eye on the ball. Knowing the rules of the game and actively keeping on top of them is a critical component to developing a winning playbook.  These days even the best employers are under the microscope.

Rick

As strategic Orlando Human Resources business consultants, we have long asserted that knowing the rules of the game is critical to success on or off the playing field.  And, in our most recent Blog posting of August 8, “Back to the Basics,” we urged our readers to take dedicated time to audit  their current HR practices to ensure that the “HR House” was in good working order.  Such an audit can save considerable time and expense by understanding and managing potential employment risks before the iceberg hits.

We now see the new report on the record number of EEOC charges filed by employees against employers in 2009 under the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”)–approximately 21,500!  That, friends, is a ton of charges. The recession and the recent liberalizing amendments to the ADA are the apparent causes for the increase in this legal activity against employers.  Whether the employer is actually in violation of the law or not, even the most baseless claim can cost significant  dollars and lost productivity.  That’s why knowing the rules is key to the success of emerging business organizations.

Again, we recommend the HR audit as a means to getting on the winning track!

Rick and Christina