Policies / Handbooks

A matter of balance: Medical marijuana, the ADA and drug testing

12/04/2017

In Pennsylvania, case law says employers should balance an employee’s privacy interests against the need for random drug testing.

Routinely log phone calls coming into HR

12/04/2017

HR professionals should document all phone calls received from applicants or employees and include a brief summary of the outcome. That way, should someone later claim no one answered or returned a phone call, you have a way to counter the allegation.

Require identical hiring process for all applicants

11/30/2017

Informal employment inquiries can sometimes lead to failure-to-hire lawsuits. The best way to avoid such litigation is to set up a clear application process and tell all potential applicants that this is the only way they can apply.

Court: Personal political tweet isn’t misconduct

11/30/2017

Unless an employee directly identifies her affiliation with her employer, most social media posts and tweets don’t violate company policies. Therefore, a state court recently concluded, they don’t constitute misconduct.

Respond as soon as employee complains about hostile environment

11/22/2017

When an employer responds to a complaint with an investigation and almost immediately fixes the problem, the lawsuit probably won’t go far.

4 ways to inject more oversight into flexible work arrangements

11/21/2017

Employers may perceive flex schedules as a key retention tool, but they’re no longer shy about insisting that day-to-day productivity can’t suffer because of an employee’s altered schedule.

Details matter when documenting promotions

11/15/2017

To counter discrimination in promotion claims, be sure you can show that the selected employee was a better candidate in as many ways as possible. That makes it much harder for a disappointed candidate to prove he was clearly better qualified.

Fingerprint time tracking? Check state law

10/26/2017

In recent years, employers have seized on biometric technologies such as fingerprint scanning as a way to control time-clock abuse. But before you rush out to buy the latest in technology, be sure to check with your attorney or your state labor department.

Master compliance challenges that follow natural disasters

10/18/2017

Unless planned and executed properly, employers’ emergency procedures may run afoul of many federal, state and local employment laws.

Nonsensical complaint? Move for quick dismissal