Policies / Handbooks

Don’t use discipline system to settle old scores

10/22/2009

Do you have a progressive disciplinary system? Don’t short-circuit it!

Review policies so voluntary benefits don’t become mandates

10/20/2009

Can an employer that has fewer than 50 employees within 75 miles of the company’s work site willingly yet unwittingly be bound to provide its employees with FMLA rights and benefits? Maybe so. In Reaux v. Infohealth Management Corp., a federal judge recently ruled that employers that are not otherwise required to provide FMLA leave could wind up subjecting themselves to the FMLA by promising it to employees.

Confidentiality depends on good e-mail policy

10/20/2009

Employers that don’t enforce reasonable e-mail and computer-access policies—consider yourselves warned. Without such policies and practices, you won’t be able to use the federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act to punish employees who send information through your system to other persons or computers.

Banning Twitter/Facebook now the majority HR policy

10/15/2009

More than half (54%) of chief information officers nationwide say their companies don’t allow employees to access social networking sites for any reason while at work, according to a new Robert Half Technology survey. A separate CareerBuilder survey found that 45% of employers report using social networking sites to screen candidates—more than double the number from a year ago.

Letterman case spotlights boss-employee relationships

10/13/2009

Late-night talk show host David Letterman came under fire earlier this month after admitting—to ward off a blackmail plot—that he’d had sexual relationships with several female staff members. While Letterman is unlikely to make any Top 10 Lists of good bosses, does his misbehavior rise to the level of sexual harassment? And what’s the lesson from all of this?

New rules ban texting while driving

10/13/2009

President Obama is using the White House bully pulpit to tackle a growing danger: sending, receiving and reading text messages while driving. A new policy bans texting while driving for federal workers, as more states move to make the practice illegal. Find out what the laws are where your organization does business.

Handle supervisor harassment with a good policy, timely investigation and independent review

10/12/2009

It’s one of the toughest HR problems: Handling a sexual harassment claim when the alleged harasser is a supervisor. But all is not lost. With proper planning, you can minimize the liability risk. Here’s how:

How to reduce liability for harassment: Do the right thing

10/11/2009

In a case that has simple yet profound lessons for employers, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that an employer wasn’t liable for co-worker harassment—all because the company acted fast and effectively when it discovered the harassment.

Include family caregivers in anti-discrimination policies

10/09/2009

Family responsibility discrimination (FRD)—discrimination against employees because of their family caregiving duties—has become a hotbed for litigation against employers, and every indication is that this trend will continue. So it’s critical for employers to recognize the potential for liability and take necessary steps to avoid being the next defendant.

Ban all racial comments—discrimination is discrimination, regardless of particular race