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Is it illegal to read others’ work e-mail?

09/24/2008

Q. I have reason to believe that someone in my department is reading my e-mail without my consent. Isn’t that illegal? …

Court Says: It’s Up to You to Stay Current on Industry-Specific Regs

09/23/2008

Federal, state and local governments issues thousands of pages of new regulations every week. Some relate directly to HR, but many of the most critical changes may not be on your professional-development radar screen. They’re the regs that affect the narrow slice of industry your company operates in. Guess what. You need to know them too.

Football coach kills self as police probe messages to student

09/23/2008

Marty Deputy, an English and Bible literature teacher and football coach at Pike Central High School in Petersburg, committed suicide on Sept. 2, hours before his former assistant coach surrendered to police over charges of inappropriate conduct …

The rules of company blogging: Avoiding employee misuse and abuse

09/12/2008

Spend any time scanning the world’s 112 million blogs and you’ll find plenty of employees discussing their work. Sometimes that spells legal trouble for employers. By implementing an effective company blogging policy, you may avoid many of the pitfalls …

The latest ADA disability-rights claim: I’m allergic to the Internet!

09/09/2008

The ADA requires employers to accommodate the disabilities of their employees and customers. We thought we’d heard about every kind of potential disability—until this one …

Governor proposes health care overhaul for state workers

09/09/2008
Gov. Tim Pawlenty recently released a set of proposals designed to make the state’s health care system “market-driven, patient-centered and quality-focused.” Pawlenty said the plan will “lead the nation in the development of portable personal health records and expanded consumer-directed health care spending accounts for state employees.” …

Issues to consider before monitoring e-mail

09/09/2008

Q. If we suspect an employee is violating a company policy prohibiting harassment, can we monitor the employee’s e-mails? …

‘No regrets’ over splash heard ’round the world

09/05/2008

Maybe the most disturbing aspect of Timothy Tackett’s now infamous bath in the utility sink of the Xenia Burger King where he worked is how quickly the video footage of it proliferated on the Internet …

Attorney general imposes e-mail policy

09/05/2008

In an effort to make a clean break from her office’s scandal-ridden recent history, Ohio Attorney General Nancy Rogers posted a new policy restricting use of office e-mail to work-related business only. Staff was also barred from private text messaging on state-issued cell phones and BlackBerrys …

Confused about recordkeeping? DOL unveils online aid

09/05/2008

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) last month debuted the FirstStep Recordkeeping, Reporting and Notices Advisor, an online tool that helps employers determine which federal laws, record-keeping requirements and poster rules apply to them …