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HR Management

Who is the harasser? Supervisor or co-Worker status matters

11/01/2007

Whether an employer is liable for workplace harassment under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act or state law oftentimes turns on the status of the harasser. If the employee’s supervisor is the harasser, liability for adverse action harassment is automatic. If, however, the harasser is a fellow employee or a supervisor other than the employee’s, the employee must show that the employer knew or should have known about the harassing behavior …

Recommendation to drop charges in Ag-Mart pesticide case

11/01/2007

Administrative Law Judge Joe Webster has recommended that the state drop all but 17 of the 369 charges of pesticide application violations against Florida-based Ag-Mart, reducing the company’s fines to $6,000 from nearly $185,000.  Ag-Mart was cited in 2005 for a slew of worker safety violations …

Houston firm to pay millions to settle criminal charges

11/01/2007

A subsidiary of a Houston-based energy firm has agreed to pay $15 million to resolve charges stemming from a 2004 pipeline explosion in Walnut Creek, CA, that killed five workers …

No ‘Hands-Off’ status just because of discrimination complaint

11/01/2007

Employers can’t retaliate against employees for filing discrimination claims. But that doesn’t mean you have to treat such employees with kid gloves. Just tell managers and supervisors to apply the “smell test” to any proposed change to the complaining employee’s work assignments …

‘Reverse racism’ or ‘Racism’—Victim says it’s all the same

11/01/2007

Mark Pasternak, of Buffalo, a former youth aide for the Office of Child and Family Services, won a $150,000 verdict for discrimination he suffered nearly a decade ago. Pasternak said, “They called it reverse racism, but for me, I thought all along it was just plain racism” …

Respond right away to avoid costly judgments

11/01/2007

Train everyone in your organization who might receive legal documents—from the mailroom clerk to the front-desk receptionist—to pass them on to management ASAP. Misplaced pleadings can mean an easy win for the person suing. What’s worse, if you miss important deadlines, you’ll lose any chance you might have had to get the case tossed out …

HR Professionals: How Much Are You Really Worth?

10/30/2007

Are you overpaid, underpaid or in the right ballpark? A new survey of 88,000 HR professionals provides average compensation levels for dozens of HR positions. Plus, it highlights an important trend–incentive compensation is growing more common in the HR world.

Attract and keep great employees with these 5 ‘Best practices’ benefits

10/23/2007

As the HR profession celebrates National Work and Family Month—you knew October was National Work and Family Month, didn’t you?—it’s time to stock up on innovative benefits ideas from U.S. employers. From wellness incentives to “future leave,” these best practices help attract and retain great workers …

Drug-Resistant superbugs: How to protect your work force

10/23/2007

An easily acquired staph infection called MRSA now causes more deaths per year than AIDS—19,000 people in 2005. HR can play an important role in minimizing the very real risk of MRSA infection at work. The best prevention: cleanliness. Here’s how.

Recognize any of these 6 supervisor profiles?

10/23/2007

The hard-driving, ruthless boss may fit the stereotype of today’s most successful corporate executive. But the most effective workplace leaders are honest, caring  and flexible. Six profiles show the full spectrum of supervisory skill—as rated by employees.