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Policies / Handbooks

No joking matter: Stuffed monkey costs official his $88,000 job

02/01/2007

Poor taste can be expensive. That’s what a Fort Pierce deputy building official learned after losing his $88,000 job over a two-inch stuffed monkey that he presented at a retiring director’s going-away party …

Printed policies don’t suffice; be vigilant about harassment

02/01/2007

If your business operates in far-flung parts of the country, make sure everyone’s on the same page in following your anti-discrimination policies …

Workplace violence: Florida law opens liability beyond workers’ comp

02/01/2007

Twelve percent of all violent crimes committed in the United States occur in the workplace. And Florida employers face unique legal challenges in their response to such violence …

Coke’s diversity reforms: Judge rules it’s the real thing

02/01/2007

Coca-Cola has received the court’s blessing for its diversity efforts in the wake of a landmark 1999 discrimination lawsuit that cost the company $192.5 million …

‘Gender expression’ now protected in N.J.; check dress code

02/01/2007

If your organization’s dress code and grooming policies set different standards for males and females, discuss the policy with your employment law attorney. A new change in state law may prompt the need to remove any sex-specific requirements …

Workers Aren’t Entitled to Extra Pay for Job-Related ideas

02/01/2007

New Jersey employers aren’t required to pay employees extra money for coming up with good ideas related to their work. But take note: You still may face claims for using employees’ ideas that are NOT related to their regular jobs …

Promises, promises: Put incentives in writing; don’t let managers blurt them out

02/01/2007

Remind supervisors to avoid the temptation of making oral promises that they may not be able to keep, even if that means losing an employee who has another job offer …

Delegating Wage-Setting Discretion to Branches Won’t Justify a Class-Action Lawsuit

02/01/2007

Recently, clever lawyers toyed with a new tactic, hoping to turn individual discrimination cases into nationwide class-action monsters. They’d find a single unhappy employee and sue on behalf of all similarly situated employees in a company’s subsidiaries …

‘My lawyer will be in contact’: Enough notice to preserve records

02/01/2007

A New Jersey appellate court recently granted a new trial to a former Paine Webber employee who claimed the company fired her for filing a sexual harassment complaint. During trial, the employee claimed Paine Webber withheld or destroyed critical documents …

Sex harassment investigator sued for giving bum advice

02/01/2007

New Jersey attorneys may be feeling their clients’ pain on a whole new level.  A recent district court ruling allowed an employee to sue the attorney who investigated her sexual harassment complaint (as well as her employer) …