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Discipline / Investigations

HR director charged with embezzling nearly $1 million

08/09/2017
The former HR director for HighPoint Solutions, a medical technology consulting firm headquartered in suburban Philadelphia, faces charges she wrote fraudulent checks totaling $919,301.

When discipline is suddenly harsher than usual, document details that explain why

07/31/2017
When you set out to discipline a worker for breaking a rule, prepare a report that tells the whole story. That’s especially important if you need to justify why one employee received a harsher punishment than others who, in the past, may have committed similar offenses.

What to do if you suspect workplace thievery

07/27/2017
Fraud prevention experts believe in the 10-10-80 rule: 10% of employees never steal, 10% do, the rest will go either way depending on the circumstances.

Missing exec might have taken ‘hundreds of thousands’

07/21/2017
A retirement community for University of Minnesota employees is abuzz with rumors after a senior executive vanished after he was fired in the wake of a criminal investigation.

Details matter when documenting discipline

07/19/2017
Smart employers make sure they document—in advance—the underlying reasons for any disciplinary actions. When preparing documentation, be sure to provide all the details, especially if two employees committed arguably similar offenses but were punished differently.

Discipline calls for language that cites objective shortcomings, not editorial opinions

07/13/2017
When disciplining employees, try to stick to objective facts. For example, if a worker isn’t abiding by a dress code, state what rule she is violating. Keep the editorial comments to yourself.

Prepare to justify discipline occurring after employee complains about discrimination

07/13/2017
Simply put, a bad review all by itself isn’t usually grounds for a lawsuit in most cases. However, punishing someone with a bad review because they complained about discrimination may land you in legal trouble.

Bungled investigation may not sink defense

07/13/2017
Sometimes, investigations don’t go as planned. An employer can have good policies and the best of intentions and still make mistakes. Fortunately, that’s not necessarily the kiss of death for a workplace investigation. Just be prepared to clearly explain what happened.

Texas Supreme Court greenlights Bev Kearney’s lawsuit

07/13/2017
The Texas Supreme Court has ruled that a long-simmering sex and racial discrimination lawsuit filed by former University of Texas women’s track and field coach Bev Kearney can proceed.

Never ignore any lawsuit

07/13/2017
Here’s a lesson for small employers that may be tempted to ignore legal pleadings, thinking there’s no merit to a worker’s claims. Doing so likely will result in a default judgment.