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Employee Relations

When sexual harassment accusations fly, investigate and discipline right away

05/02/2012
Here’s a lesson learned from an employer that responded correctly when an employee complained about sexual harassment. Not only did it conduct a thorough investigation that helped it win a lawsuit, but it also prevented another potential sexual harassment claim when it discovered even more egregious behavior—from the original complainant himself.

Cops: Accountant skims $333K over course of 10 years

05/01/2012
It took 10 years, but an accounting employee of Hershey Entertainment & Resorts managed to sock away a tidy nest egg totaling more than $333,000. The only trouble, according to police and prosecutors: She built her savings account by embezzling the funds from her employer.

Categorize reasons why you impose employee discipline

05/01/2012
You probably know you must document all disciplinary actions. Take that a step further by categorizing the discipline.

In Chicago classroom, teachable moment or racism?

05/01/2012
A white Chicago teacher was suspended for five days after he used the N-word in what he described as a “teachable moment.”

Focus on poor performance when terminating

05/01/2012

Sometimes, it’s obvious that an employee will not work out. If that employee belongs to a protected class, you may be tempted to treat her with kid gloves. Don’t. Instead, keep the focus on performance deficiencies.

Good documentation is the key to legally disciplining employees

05/01/2012
How you document a discipline issue can cause problems if an employee files a lawsuit. To protect your organization, follow these guidelines:

Job descriptions are works in progress … Stay on top of them!

04/30/2012
There’s a good chance that what your employees actually do every day has little in common with what’s written in their job descriptions. That’s a problem. Inaccurate or in­­complete job descriptions can cause legal liability for ­­employers, especially if the EEOC or the DOL comes calling.

10 ways to give employees something to smile about

04/18/2012

The greatest compliment CEO Paul Spiegelman gets from candidates who apply for jobs at his company comes in the form of a question: Why is everyone smiling? He says the answer is simple: They’re happy. Here are 10 tips for creating a culture of fun in your workplace:

Make sure employees know how to complain

04/16/2012
One of the only ways to protect your company from hostile work environment lawsuits is to provide a way for employees to complain. Then investigate the allegations.

Punish bosses who don’t report harassment

04/16/2012
Before you can fix a problem like offensive graffiti in the workplace, you have to know it exists. Short of conducting spot inspections, the only way you will know what’s going on away from headquarters and in the trenches is from employee and supervisor complaints.