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Policies / Handbooks

Don’t let e-mail mistakes kill your attorney/client privilege

08/01/2005
Issue: Protect your right to keep communications between the organization and its attorney secret.
Risk: By misdirecting e-mail messages meant for your attorney, you can wipe out that attorney/client privilege. …

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 …

Employee returning from FMLA? Alter pay only in rare situations

07/01/2005
When employees return from FMLA leave, they’re entitled to their same or equivalent position, pay and working conditions. If you try to place someone in a lower paying or lower-prestige job, …

Jury duty: How to manage leave requests and pay issues

07/01/2005
THE LAW. No one is immune from jury duty. Even Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer was called for duty
in his Massachusetts hometown. Al-though Breyer was dismissed from the pool, …

Attack tardiness with progressive discipline

07/01/2005

Q. Several of our assistants are constantly late. What can we do to get them to come to work on time? —A.A., Virginia

Can you (and should you) refuse to hire smokers? Know the law

07/01/2005
Some of your employees may be a month into their New Year’s resolution to quit smoking. But what if you, as an organization, wanted to kick the habit in a different way—by refusing to hire employees that smoke?

Require hands-free phone usage in company vehicles

07/01/2005
Issue: More states are placing restrictions on when drivers (and which drivers) can use wireless devices while driving.
Risk: Your organization may be liable when distracted employees on cell phones …