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HR Management

OK to reference handbook in employment contract

07/27/2015

Employee handbooks aren’t contracts. In fact, to preserve at-will employment status, we usually recommend including a disclaimer that specifically states: “This handbook does not constitute a contract.” But some key employees do work under the terms of employment contracts, and occasionally it may make sense to incorporate your employee handbook rules into those agreements. Referring to the handbook makes its terms and conditions binding on your contracted workers.

Policies are worthless if they’re not communicated

07/24/2015
An accountant for the state Depart­­ment of Health will get his job back after Commonwealth Court determined that, contrary to the given reason for his firing, his e-mail was not “combative”, “antagonistic”, or “accusatory.”

Pulled in different directions? Here’s how to set your HR priorities

07/20/2015

Establishing yourself as a key member of the strategic team requires you to make tough HR decisions and defend them to executives. That’s easier to do after you systematically set priorities for your HR department. Use these seven guidelines to help separate real priorities from perfunctory tasks.

California’s ‘Yes Means Yes’ law takes effect on campuses

07/17/2015
As of July 1, California colleges, universities and post-secondary schools are required to bolster their compliance with new state laws regarding policies concerning sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking. This new law requires schools to enter into agreements with local law enforcement and report crime statistics.

What the new Texas ‘open carry’ law means for employers

07/15/2015
In March, the Texas Senate passed legislation allowing holders of concealed handgun licenses to carry holstered handguns in plain view. In April, the Texas House of Representatives passed H.B. 910, its version of the “open carry” law.

15 questions to ask when auditing your handbook

07/15/2015
It’s good business to review your handbook once a year and revise it as necessary. Answer these questions to gauge its thoroughness and reliability.

Many employees unsure what to do in an emergency

07/15/2015
Almost all workers—94%—say they feel safe at work, but 23% aren’t sure they would know what to do if they faced a physically dangerous emergency. That’s what the Harris Poll found this spring when it surveyed more than 3,000 workers from a cross-section of industries.

What’s wrong with that policy?

07/13/2015
Company policies lay the foundation on which employment expectations are formed, and thus, workplace actions are taken. A missing phrase here, an undefined term there can spell policy disaster.

Children of working moms have a leg up in life

07/09/2015
A recent study found a positive correlation between having a mother who worked outside the home and children’s later development and opportunities.

7 steps to protect against electronic sabotage by former employees

07/08/2015
Not all terminated employees go quietly. Some rant and rave about unfairness. Others plead for a second chance. So when an employee seemingly accepts his or her termination without protest, employers typically let out a sigh of relief. Not so fast. Just a few taps on the keyboard by a vengeful former employee can cause crippling damage to your workplace.