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HR Management

Before we start background checks, should we start asking applicants for birth dates?

10/30/2009

Q. Our job application doesn’t ask for the applicant’s age or date of birth. However, we plan to start conducting background checks on job applicants we’re seriously considering. The company that will conduct the checks for us said the birth date is on all the applications they see and that it’s instrumental to conducting the checks. What should we do?

Can we demand a drug test for an employee recently convicted of drug violations?

10/30/2009

Q. One of our employees was recently in jail for traffic and drug violations. Before he returns to work, what guidelines can we follow to ensure that he’s drug-free? Will we be discriminating if we require a drug test before allowing him back on site, even though we didn’t require such a test when he was hired?

Accommodating disabled employees: Updated DOL web site makes your job easier

10/27/2009

When employees say they’re having trouble completing their job duties because of their ADA-qualifying disabilities, employers are required to enter into an “interactive process” to find accommodations that allow them to perform the job’s essential functions. That’s where the newly updated, redesigned Job Accommodation Network (JAN) site can come in handy.

Use multimedia campaigns to nurture employee self-service

10/27/2009

Having employees handle their own pay and benefits administration is the Holy Grail of comp and benefits pros. But merely offering self-serve online resources to employees won’t automatically make them self-sufficient. Instead, initiate a long-term, multimedia strategy using techniques that encourage employees to help themselves.

Attempted suicide: Proof of disability … or grounds for dismissal?

10/27/2009

Effective HR pros often have to balance sensitivity and compassion with hard-nosed business realities. Never will that dichotomy be more severely tested than when an employee attempts suicide. Then you’ll have to consider the employee’s situation, ADA and FMLA rules … and your obligation to maintain an environment that’s safe for other workers.

How one missing poster doomed an Atlantic City hotel

10/25/2009

Outdated workplace posters aren’t just a minor mistake that, at worst, could trigger only a small fine. As a new court ruling shows, poster mistakes can actually breathe new life into supposedly dead employment lawsuits …

10 minutes well-spent: Audit your employee bulletin board

10/23/2009

When was the last time you reviewed your company’s bulletin boards in the break room or alongside the time clock? Do they show the correct, updated federal- and state-law posters? A little time spent seeing what’s there—and what’s missing—will keep you in compliance with state and federal laws.

What do workers want? Studies show staff/boss disconnect

10/23/2009

Sometimes it seems like supervisors and employees work in entirely different places. Several recent studies show that bosses and front-line employees have widely varying views about their organization’s priorities, morale, compensation and benefits. Here are seven key flashpoints:

Track older workers’ training opportunities

10/23/2009

Technology changes fast, and so do the skills employees need to succeed in their jobs. But some employees don’t feel comfortable taking the steps needed to adapt. If those employees happen to be older and you end up having to replace them, you could face an age discrimination lawsuit. You can avoid such lawsuits with a good skill-building plan …

Employee drops 100 pounds to win skydiving trip

10/22/2009

A fitness technician with Peoria, Ariz.-based Brookdale Senior Living lost 100 pounds in a weight-loss competition to snag the grand prize: his first skydive. About 4,000 employees participated in the contest—the group lost a collective 30,000 pounds.