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HR Management

Can we talk? A guide to political expression in the workplace

09/18/2008

The presidential campaign has everyone talking politics, and inevitably a lot of that talking takes place at work. As the campaign season moves toward the general election, many employers are re-examining their workplace policies concerning political activities and speech. Evidence suggests employers must educate employees concerning workplace political speech …

Sample Policy: Overtime

09/16/2008
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Can ‘Kiddie Wellness’ Programs Cut Your Organization’s Health Costs?

09/16/2008

Children account for 20% to 25% of employer health care spending, and rates of diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity are soaring among America’s kids and teens. Here are five tips for including employees’ children in your company’s wellness programs …

Bigfoot in his mouth: Officer loses job over fraudulent story

09/15/2008
Officer Matt Whitton of the Clayton County Police Department lost more than his credibility when his amazing “Bigfoot” discovery turned out to be a soggy polyester ape costume. The moment the news reached Police Chief Jeffery Turner, he fired Whitton …

Post this story to curb employee credit card abuse

09/15/2008
Donna Gamble, of Marietta, whose purchase card abuses cost the Georgia Institute of Technology more than $300,000, has been sentenced to two years and eight months in federal prison and ordered to pay full restitution to the university …

Don’t even think about going without workers’ compensation insurance

09/15/2008
Georgia employers that skip obtaining or maintaining workers’ compensation coverage, beware: Employees who get hurt on the job can still collect benefits—for years. They just won’t be getting the payments from your insurance carrier. Instead, they will collect them directly from your company …

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 …

Can the union demand we pay for employees’ personal protective equipment?

09/12/2008
Q. Our company is in the midst of planning for contract negotiations. The bargaining committee has made it known it will demand that the company pay for all steel-toed safety shoes. The company does require that its employees wear steel-toed safety shoes in the plant, but the company has never paid for the shoes. The union states that because of new OSHA regulations, which have been adopted in Michigan, the employer is required to pay for employee personal protective equipment (PPE) and therefore must pay for the safety shoes. …

Must we turn over personnel records that might compromise an investigation?

09/10/2008

Q. A former supervisor is the subject of an ongoing sexual harassment and retaliation investigation. He is asking to view his personnel records. The records contain the details of the retaliation complaint. Does he have the right to review his own personnel file? …

What are the rules concerning third-Party access to employee personnel files?

09/10/2008
Q. I have heard that under Illinois law, our company must notify an employee if we receive a request from a third-party to review that employee’s personnel records. Is that true? …