Personnel Files

Employee documents: When to store, when to shred

06/01/2001

There’s no sense in becoming a pack rat if you don’t need to. While the legal requirements to retain records are complex, you’re probably safe in dumping those 1984 vacation-day requests. …

Confidentiality rules protect EAP counselors

05/01/2001

Employee assistance program (EAP) counselors are covered by the same privilege of confidentiality that’s granted to licensed psychotherapists, says the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. This is the first time …

Heed new OSHA rules for recording injuries, illnesses

03/01/2001

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is giving employers until Jan. 1, 2002, to comply with revised rules for keeping track of workplace injuries and illnesses. Among the changes, the …

Performance reviews: Cut liability, add punch to annual chore

03/01/2001

Your performance evaluation system probably isn’t “meeting expectations” and may “need improvement.” One of the biggest problems: grade inflation. Managers routinely give employees higher marks than their performance warrants. As …

How to breeze through a surprise OSHA inspection

11/01/2000

Don’t sit around watching the door in fear of an inspection by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Knowing your rights and how to handle the inspector …

Pitch old records with care

10/01/2000

Q. How long is a company supposed to keep paper records? We’d like to throw out some of our old, archived paperwork. —B.H., Pennsylvania

Federal contractors may face labor ‘litmus test’

09/01/2000

A new regulation that would deny federal contracts based on a company’s labor and tax records may be in place by year-end. The Clinton administration proposed …

Waiver protection is limited

09/01/2000

Q. Many of my former employees want me to provide post-employment references, but I’m afraid of liability. Can I ask them to sign a release giving me permission to provide references that would absolve me from any liability? —A.K., Virginia

Playin’ it cool: How to handle an EEOC bias charge

08/01/2000

When a charge of discrimination lands in your lap from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) or its equivalent state agency, the way you respond …

Supreme Court greases path for bias cases

07/01/2000

Your chances of winning a job discrimination lawsuit just took a tumble. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in June that workers don’t need direct evidence …