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HR Management

Is it insubordination to call in sick after being turned down for leave?

01/01/2008

Q. During the busiest period of the year, a veteran employee asked for time off to attend her nephew’s graduation. After being turned down, she called in sick on graduation day. Is this considered insubordination? And how should we handle this situation? …

Grocery clerk stops shoplifter, loses job for breaking rule

01/01/2008

File this one under “no good deed goes unpunished.” Michigan grocery clerk John Schultz says he lost his job after trying to thwart the getaway of an alleged shoplifter. The firing offense? Touching a customer …

Workplace bullying emerges as new employment law issue

01/01/2008

While workplace bullying certainly has existed for as long as mean people have worked alongside others, only recently has it emerged as an issue for the courts to handle. As awareness of “workplace bullying” arises, so does potential litigation and liability for employers …

Protect your work force from drug-Resistant superbugs

01/01/2008

“Medical crisis.” “New staph strain raises red flags.” “Superbug taking great toll.” These headlines, and more like them, shook up the country during the fall—and prompted HR pros to take precautions in their workplaces …

Safety violations cost Cintas $3 million in 3 months

01/01/2008

Cincinnati-based Cintas Corp. was hit with another $196,000 in fines for safety violations at its Mobile, AL, location, bringing its total OSHA fines to more than $3 million in just three months …

EEOC called after MRSA scare costs Miami man his job

01/01/2008

A South Florida man may be the first U.S. employee to lose his job over methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus—a highly contagious and potentially lethal, drug-resistant bacterial infection also known as MRSA …

If new employee clearly isn’t working out, fire and move on

01/01/2008

Sometimes it becomes painfully obvious you’ve made a hiring mistake shortly after the new employee clocks in on day one. If, during initial training or on the first assignment, you know the employee will not meet your legitimate expectations—and you can substantiate your impression—it may be best to admit the mistake and discharge the new employee …

OSHA fines tire recycler $219,800

01/01/2008

OSHA issued $219,800 in fines against Tires Into Recycled Energy & Supplies Inc. (TIRES), of Jackson, following a fire at its plant last May that resulted in an employee’s death …

Los Angeles grocery ordinance conflicts with state regulations

01/01/2008

In a tentative decision, a California state court ruled that a Los Angeles grocery ordinance is void. A complaint by the California Grocers Association challenged the Grocery Worker Retention Ordinance, which set limits on the termination of employees, including requiring grocers to retain employees for 90 days after a change in ownership.

Employee’s infection proves costly to Liz Claiborne store

01/01/2008

When an employee with an unidentified infection came to work at the Liz Claiborne Outlet Store at Lighthouse Place in Michigan City, management feared it might be MRSA and closed the store to disinfect it …