When the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan began, employers faced many issues with employees departing for military service.  Now that soldiers are returning in greater numbers and coming back to their jobs, are you keeping in mind all of the requirements under federal law, including USERRA and the FMLA – and even the ADA? 

There are plenty of HR professionals who do not deal with a unionized workforce.  Certainly some of them have an understandable tendency to gloss over matters concerning the National Labor Relations Board and similar topics.  The current NLRB (with three recent appointees of President Obama) wants you to pay attention to them, and is taking steps to make themselves and potential unionization issues relevant to every workforce.

Below is an Advisory that was issued this afternoon by Troutman Sanders’ Labor & Employment Group that shows how the NLRB intends to exert its influence onto every employer.  All HR professionals need to stay alert, pay attention, and tune in to these issues, even (and perhaps especially) if you do not have unionized employees.

Do you enjoy updating your résumé?

If your answer is “No,” you may be pleased to hear that some companies no longer ask for a résumé.  As explained in a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, a number of technology firms do not require job applicants to submit résumés.  These companies are more interested in the applicant’s “web presence,” which can include Twitter feeds, LinkedIn accounts, or Youtube video profiles.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently approved a new strategic plan for 2012-2016, which is designed to maximize its resources.

The new strategic plan contains two aspects that are of particular interest to HR professionals:

(1)    the EEOC will focus its efforts on systemic discrimination cases rather than individual discrimination cases; and

(2)    the EEOC will focus its education and outreach efforts on small and new businesses.

Name:  Randy Zimmerman
Title:  Associate HR Director
Company:  Cooper Industries – Wiring Devices division

1.  How many years have you been working in HR? 10

2.  Favorite thing about working in HR? More so than any other function, it lends itself to partnering with leaders from various functional disciplines, learning the business from multiple perspectives, and having a broad impact on the organization.

3.  Best piece of advice you ever received about a career in HR? In order to be successful in HR, especially as you move into larger leadership roles, you have to be comfortable dealing with ambiguity. 

Employment lawyers often say “No good deed goes unpunished.” We don’t mean you shouldn’t do “good deeds” to help, respect, thank, and reward employees and build stronger relationships. “Good deeds” are the right thing to do.  However, if not done thoughtfully, “good deeds” can cause unexpected “punishment.” Let’s take a simple example.