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HR Management

Should you return pirated software to a fired employee?

07/01/2005

Q. We terminated an employee after we caught him downloading software and movies onto his own CDs and DVDs. After he left, we found discs that contained copied movies in his desk. Now he’s asking for his belongings back. Are we required to return the discs? —D.V.

Stop ‘buddy punching’: Install a biometric time clock

07/01/2005
Issue: You’re paying for time that employees aren’t working because they punch each other’s timecards.
Risk: Such “buddy punching” can cost companies thousands in wasted payroll dollars.
Action: Stop …

Apply now for a ‘dot-jobs’ recruiting Web address

07/01/2005
To help streamline your recruiting process, your organization can now apply for an Internet address that ends in “.jobs.” The jobs domain was approved earlier this year and will be up …

No-Cost Employee Benefit: Payroll-Deducted PCs

07/01/2005

Looking to offer employees a feel-good perk that doesn’t cost you anything? Set up a program that lets employees buy home personal computers through payroll deduction …

Justify your training proposals with ROI calculations

07/01/2005
Issue: Executives are reluctant to approve training unless they can prove that it will pay for itself many times over.
Benefit: By providing the CEO with legitimate return-on-investment (ROI) figures, …

Scrutinize resumes that cite ‘dead’ companies

07/01/2005

What if you’re seriously considering an applicant, but a good chunk of his or her past experience was at an employer that’s now defunct? The dot-com bust of the late ’90s …

Stop FMLA abuse with employee ‘bed check’

07/01/2005
Good news: Managing employees out on sick leave and spotting FMLA abuse just got easier.
As a recent court ruling shows, you can call and check on employees to make …

Even ‘nontargets’ can sue for hostile environment

07/01/2005
Hopefully, you already take any discrimination or harassment complaints from minority employees seriously. But what if a white male blows the whistle about race discrimination he sees affecting his minority co-workers? …

Give employees a grace period to spend FSA dollars

07/01/2005
If you allow employees to pay for health- and dependent-care expenses through a tax-advantaged flexible spending account (FSA), you can now give them an extra 21/2 months to spend the money. …

Can favoritism amount to a ‘hostile’ work environment?

07/01/2005
As if there weren’t enough complications when co-workers are paramours, here’s another: Those who aren’t part
of the love affair feel slighted when
the bedded ones are promoted, and …