HR Management

How assertive are you? Take our test

04/03/2012

Giving employees critical feedback, negotiating with vendors, sticking up for your people (or your budget)—they’re all communications situations that require a certain amount of assertiveness. These 18 questions can help you pinpoint areas of weakness in your ability to express yourself. Use your results to figure out where you can improve.

Error on the I-9: Edit it or create a new one?

04/03/2012

Q. If an error is found on an employee’s I-9 form, can HR request that the employee complete a new form?

Manager recommends discipline or firing? Investigate before agreeing to go along

04/02/2012

Here’s something to consider the next time you authorize discipline or discharge: It pays to independently investigate management’s underlying reasons for the action. Do that even if the employee in question doesn’t belong to a traditional protected class.

The HR I.Q. Test: April ’12

04/02/2012

Test your knowledge of recent trends in employment law, comp & benefits and other HR issues with our monthly mini-quiz …

Vacation leave: A 5-part plan & sample policies

04/01/2012

You wouldn’t dream of having informal payroll policies, right? Yet too many employers treat vacation time—a form of compensation—as a casual entitlement. Getting too informal can cost you. Here are the five key elements a sound vacation policy addresses—plus two sample vacation policies you can adapt for your organization.

11 guidelines for preventing and addressing workplace violence

03/30/2012

Nearly 2 million U.S. workers are victims of workplace violence each year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Don’t let your organization add to those sobering statistics. To reduce the chance of workplace violence—or your liability if it does happen—follow these 11 guidelines:

Be sure to document effective date of new disciplinary policies

03/30/2012

Sometimes, it’s obvious that a disciplinary policy isn’t working. Occasionally, management’s ideas about discipline evolve. When you do replace your discipline policy, make sure you document exactly when the change went into effect. That way, an employee who is punished more severely can’t point to the earlier disciplinary actions as evidence he was unfairly singled out.

Hacked! How to limit liability for employee data breaches

03/29/2012

Imagine this nightmare scenario: You’ve contracted with a vendor to enter personnel data into a new computer system, including employees’ Social Security numbers, addresses, names of dependents, health records and bank account routing numbers. Then the vendor notifies you that employee data was somehow stolen or lost. What do you do?

Workplace bullying: When HR is the target

03/27/2012

Ever feel like you’re the unofficial “shock absorber” in your organization, soaking up the complaints and abuse from all corners of the workplace? A recent study says many HR professionals serve such a role. These tactics can help you confront the workplace bullies who make HR their target.

Manning’s big tip earns big penalty for Raleigh waiter

03/23/2012

A March evening started out great for a waiter at the Angus Barn restaurant. One of his customers was NFL quarterback and well-known big tipper Peyton Manning, who left a $200 tip. The waiter was so excited he posted Manning’s credit card slip in a photo on Facebook. Bad move …