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HR Management

You can request new certification at the start of each ‘FMLA year’

12/01/2005
A new Labor Department opinion letter clarifies that you can require employees to provide new medical certification, not just recertification, for their first FMLA absences in a new “leave year.”

Know how to accommodate employee vision problems

12/01/2005
The EEOC just issued new guidelines that explain issues such as:
  • When a vision impairment qualifies as a “disability” under the ADA;
  • What questions you can ask job …

React quickly to disability accommodation requests

12/01/2005
Issue: The EEOC is targeting employers who drag their heels on employees’ disability accommodation requests.
Risk: Courts could see your delay tactics as illegal “constructive discharge” of disabled employees…

Budget for higher postal rates in ’06

12/01/2005
If you mail HR-related info to applicants and employees, budget higher costs in 2006. The Postal Rate Commission last month approved a 2-cent increase in first-class stamps, pushing them up to …

Request certification at start of each FMLA year

12/01/2005
A new Labor Department opinion letter makes clear that you can require employees to provide new medical certification, not just recertification, for their first FMLA absences in a new “FMLA year.” …

More employers are telling sick workers to stay home

12/01/2005
The problem of presenteeism, when employees come to work even though they’re sick, is an increasing concern for U.S. employers, according to a new CCH survey. Nearly half (48 percent) of …

Sharpen your recruiting with new matchmaker sites

12/01/2005
Issue: Some new job boards this year take their cues from dating sites, trying to match employers with applicants.
Benefit/risk: Such sites can eliminate unqualified applicants, but they’re fishing in …

Obtain OK to share background-Check info with clients

12/01/2005

Q. Our company routinely runs background checks on all people to whom we offer positions. Can we legally disclose an employee’s background information to a customer who requests it? (The employee is working on the customer’s job site.) —L.B., North Carolina

Secure one-time consent for all employee credit checks

12/01/2005
Issue: Must you seek permission each time you want to review an employees’ credit record?
Benefit: As a new court ruling shows, the answer is ‘no;’ you can obtain one …

Set separate notice rules for FMLA and regular absences

12/01/2005
Your organization can (and should) establish clear rules for whom employees should contact if they need time off. Those rules can specify one contact person …