Race discrimination in the workplace is illegal under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Discrimination can be overt, such as failing to promote an individual because of their race, but race discrimination can also occur where the employer enacted policies that while not discriminatory in intent had a disparate negative impact on employees of a particular race. In this podcast HR expert Jenni Stone shares 11 steps to prevent race discrimination in your workplace.

The Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) has issued new guidance intended to help nonessential businesses manage their employees' return to work during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The guidance aligns with the three phases President Trump put forward in his Opening Up America Again, consistent with state stay-at-home orders & reopening plans. In this podcast, HR expert Jenni Stone explains the three phases of reopening, & the concerns needed to be addressed by nonessential businesses.

Leading employees in times of change can be challenging in the best of circumstances. As a supervisor faced with guiding employees through change due to COVID-19, it is natural to feel like you are navigating uncharted territory. However, while the circumstances surrounding the current public health crisis are very different from most work-related change, the principles of effective leadership and change management remain the same. In this week’s podcast we share our guide for leading through the pandemi

With stay-at-home orders lifting & businesses preparing to begin the process of resuming regular operations, it's time for HR professionals, managers & other business leaders to start putting in place concrete plans for a return to work. It's important to take proactive steps to anticipate and address employee concerns related to the COVID19. Regardless of company size, organizations will be well-served by proactive planning that addresses these key areas: safety, business viability and work-life concerns.

In response to the uncertainties presented by COVID19, many companies & universities have asked their employees to work remotely. While close to a quarter of the U.S. workforce already works from home at least part of the time, the new policies leave many employees & their managers working out of the office & separated from each other for the first time. In this episode we share 6 quick and easy tips to managing a team from home.

When an organization goes through a reduction in force, it is just as important to have a plan in place for working with those who will remain with the organization as it is for those who will be directly affected by job losses. This is just as true for layoffs triggered by a public health emergency such as the COVID-19 as it is for layoffs caused by more common factors. In this podcast HR expert Jenni Stone shares best practices for addressing survivors guilt and effective workplace communication.

The effects of the novel coronavirus will reverberate in US workplaces for years, & there will never be a return to the pre-pandemic state of "normal." Given the sweeping impact, it is not too early to start considering what the world of work will look like after the crisis has passed. For many employers, the biggest permanent change will be a more remote - or entirely remote - workforce. In this podcast we share some key considerations to keep in mind as businesses move to a more distributed model.

It is too early to know the full implications of the coronavirus pandemic, but most experts say the economy is headed for a serious downturn. Advance planning by HR can help businesses weather the storm while preserving as many jobs as possible. A recession is a difficult time for an employer; financially & emotionally. In this episode HR expert Jenni Stone shares five steps businesses can take to reduce costs, maximize opportunities & ensure all resources are used to prepare for a possible recession.

Companies are scrambling to establish work from home telecommuting policies in response to the coronavirus. The immediate priorities are the technical prerequisites necessary to get workers connected remotely. The larger challenge is harder to quantify: how to develop and maintain productivity in a virtual work space. Establishing an effective work environment is critical when working from home. The key to a productive home office that balances work & family life is the development of an isolation strategy.

As the coronavirus outbreak becomes more acute, employers must consider remote working options & implement emergency communications plans. While an organization already may have been offering flexible work options to certain teams or job classifications, a public health crisis may propel an employer to scale those options to most or all. Based on these recommendations and compliance requirements, an employer should strongly consider making remote working options available to as many workers as possible.