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NLRB tweaks standards for evaluating whether your employee handbook policies are lawful

Blissbook now has the ability to provide law change alerts to customers! What follows is an alert we recently wrote on a topic that can affect all companies as it deals with how broadly many “work rules” are written.

Overview

On August 2, 2023, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issued a decision (Stericycle Inc.) that reverses an earlier precedent (Boeing) that itself had modified an earlier decision (Lutheran Heritage Village-Livonia). Confused yet? Basically the NLRB said, “nevermind” to how they were operating for the past 6 years and moved back towards standards first established in 2004.

The NLRB said the primary problem with how they’re operating is that it permits employers to adopt overbroad work rules that chill employees’ rights under Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act (the right to organize, form, or join a union).

What Policies Should Be Included in an Employee Handbook

Your employee handbook serves as a guide for both new and existing employees, helping them navigate the company with ease. Creating an employee handbook may seem overwhelming at first, but we promise it’s worth the investment. 

To make your life easier, we’ve outlined the policies you should include in your employee handbook.

The Psych of Like: Workplace Persuasion

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word “liking”? In the age of social media, your brain might have jumped to clicking on a thumbs-up or a heart. But liking dates back much earlier than Facebook and Twitter.

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Envision you’re cruising down the highway, and a new song comes on the radio; it has a great beat and you enjoy the singer’s voice. A few days later, you hear the song and notice a lyric that really hits home, so you feel a connection – a similarity. By the fourth or fifth listen, you’re singing along with the chorus in your head because it’s familiar. It has now achieved Oooh-I-like-this-song! status.

Bugle #78: A Reciprocity Odyssey

Friday Fun Fact: Did you know that, 24 years ago today, Baltimore Oriole Cal Ripken, Jr. played in his 2,131st consecutive game, breaking a 56-year-old record? Yes, that means you’re 24 years older than you were then.

Like Cal’s 431 home runs, we hope we knock it out of the park with some of the best HR, leadership, and policy management articles we found over the past couple weeks.

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Article of the Week: Remember how we included original content in a previous Bugle and said we were too humble to make it the Article of the Week? This time we’re not. The featured article reminds us that sometimes we’ve got to give before we get (look for the below).

Bugle #49: These HR Policies Are Legal Again

Happy Friday! Here’s something heartwarming for everyone in the northern hemisphere: for the next 6 months, each day will be shorter than the one before it. Womp womp. That was a downer. Now let’s bring you back up with the best HR, leadership, and policy management articles from the last two weeks! Enjoy and have a terrific weekend!

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Article of the Week: Whaaaaat? This week’s highlighted article (look for the below) is about HR policies??! That’s so surprising for a link article created by a company that makes policy management software. We’re as shocked as you are. Enjoy!

Blissbook Bugle #2

Friday Friday Friday. Another week in the books. You deserve a break. How’s 2 days off sound? Until then, we’ve gathered the best HR and policy management resources to help you get ever so closer to the weekend.

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Article of the Week: This week’s highlighted piece (look for the below) takes a deep look at the unspoken things that make some people great at their job and others… not so much. There are also 5 lists that would be great inspiration for someone creating content around core values.