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Employee Relations

Govt. Rarely Requires In-House ‘Sick Area’

12/01/2004

Q. Is our company required to provide a couch or cot on the premises in the event that an employee becomes ill? Are there any laws that dictate safety or health reasons for doing this? —V.A., Ohio

Do your leave benefits entice employees to stay?

12/01/2004
Issue: Are your employee-leave policies too stingy, too generous or just right?
Benefit: Knowing how your organization compares to others helps you attract and retain top employees.
Action: Review …

Boost employee morale at low cost, with surprise days off

11/01/2004
Issue: How to improve benefits and employee morale without busting the budget.
Benefit: Employees soon forget how they spent bonus money but will remember what they did with a surprise …

Help employees ease holiday-season stress

11/01/2004
The most popular thing U.S. employers do to help employees alleviate holiday-related stress is to schedule holiday events during business hours …

Tell employees to read each form; don’t summarize

11/01/2004
Issue: The danger of telling employees “Don’t bother reading that; it probably doesn’t apply to you.” Risk: Courts may view your action as a cover-up, sparking …

Build support for your decisions with ‘visible’ thinking

11/01/2004
Issue: The wording you use to explain your decisions, and the organization’s decisions, affect your credibility.
Risk: Vague or nonexistent explanations …

Want a competitive edge? Push managers to give feedback

11/01/2004
Issue: The importance of giving consistent feedback on employee performance. Benefit: When managers provide feedback, employees are more likely to stay …

Tell ‘key employees’ right away if denying job reinstatement

11/01/2004
Issue: FMLA lets you deny post-leave reinstatement, in some situations, to highly paid “key employees.” Benefit: That provision can shelter your organization from …

Start ‘leave meter’ running at first absence

11/01/2004
Issue: When does FMLA leave begin? How soon do you need to notify employees on leave? Benefit: A new court ruling clarifies that those 12 weeks begin with the first …

Protecting workers from harassment isn’t a ‘one and done’ deal

11/01/2004
Your best defense against a hostile environment claim is proof that you took quick and effective steps to stop the hostility. But courts won’t look kindly on your efforts if you …