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HR Management

3 L.A. firms to open downtown child care center for attorneys

07/06/2009

Three Los Angeles law firms have partnered to open a 12,000-square-foot day care center for 88 children of attorneys and staff, starting in the fall. The three firms are neighbors: Munger, Tolles & Olson, O’Melveny & Myers, and Oaktree Capital Management.

Flextime, early-out Fridays top employee summer wish list

07/06/2009

The luxury of time was on the minds of most employees who were surveyed by Robert Half International about the summer perks they most value. Leading the list was flextime, the choice of 38% of respondents. Next was shortened Fridays.

Be ready to intervene if supervisor who shows bias needs an attitude adjustment

07/06/2009

In a perfect world, no one would ever utter a slur or make a derogatory comment. But this isn’t a perfect world, and employees come to work with emotional and cultural baggage. It’s up HR to make sure that baggage doesn’t turn into a discrimination lawsuit. 

Courts increasingly tough on frivolous litigation

07/06/2009

Recently, courts have begun to fine pro se litigants who file lawsuits that have no chance of success. That should discourage some former employees from suing without the help of an attorney.

Send tailored e-mails to deliver actionable health info

07/06/2009

When employees hunch over keyboards all day, all the motivational posters in all the break rooms of the world won’t improve their health. Health care giant Kaiser Permanente—a leader in designing wellness programs for other organizations—wondered what it could do to get its own staff to eat better and exercise more. Thus was born an innovative e-mail campaign that delivered big results.

Social networking is here to stay; it’s time to amend your e-policies

07/06/2009

According to a recent survey, 22% of employees say they use some form of social networking five or more times per week, and 15% admit they access social media while at work for personal reasons. Yet, only 22% of companies have a formal policy that guides employees in how they can use social networking at work. Here are seven key questions to ask when drafting a social networking policy for your workplace.

Protecting computers from ex-employees

07/06/2009

Q. Is there anything I can do to deter employees from stealing or damaging computers after a termination?

Measure productivity loss when tallying up health costs

07/06/2009

Pull out your attendance records and a calculator to determine just how much productivity is suffering because of employee illness and poor health. Then find out what kinds of medical conditions are keeping employees from working at full capacity.

Delphi learns the hard way: Don’t mess with medical records

07/06/2009

Auto parts manufacturer Delphi has settled a suit with the EEOC alleging the company made prohibited medical inquiries into employees’ health and retaliated against staff who objected. Delphi required employees returning from sick leave to sign releases allowing the company to probe their medical records …

Choosing employees for promotion: a 6-step legal process

07/06/2009

HR people and managers are aware of the legal dangers in hiring outside applicants. But many forget that internal promotions also carry risks.