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Policies / Handbooks

Base English-only rules on business necessity

10/01/2000
Unless you have a good business reason, steer clear of preventing workers from talking to each other in their native language. In September …

Check arbitration pacts against these standards

10/01/2000

Q. To hold down litigation costs and resolve disputes faster, we’re thinking about requiring employees to sign arbitration agreements that would make them arbitrate employment disputes instead of going to court. Are these agreements legal? —C.R., California

Even ‘tolerable’ harassment will nail you

10/01/2000
For months, Richard Corliss hurled racial slurs at two African-American co-workers at McDonald’s. When the two women complained, their supervisor said he couldn’t control Corliss’ mouth, claimed he didn’t know how …

No special protection for morning sickness

10/01/2000
After 20 unexcused absences in a year, Jennifer Dormeyer was fired from her job as a bank teller. She claimed nine of the absences were because of morning sickness and sued …

Be consistent: Don’t slap harasser on wrist, then fire victim

09/01/2000
Michelle Johnson complained that her boss, a police chief, exposed himself, touched her inappropriately and verbally abused her. The employer launched an investigation. Johnson saw the chief as he was …

Company’s ‘head in the sand’ response racks up punitive damages

09/01/2000
Faced with a bad situation, Wax Works record stores managed to make it even worse, and paid a big price. One of Wax Works’ store managers, Kerry Ogden, had compiled …

Set policies on which software employees can download

09/01/2000
Legal experts warn that employers could get caught up in the current battle over the legality of programs that let users download music free off the Internet. If employees …

OSHA promises to ease scrutiny of employer self-audits

09/01/2000
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently said its inspectors no longer will “routinely” ask employers for the results from a company’s own …

Slash costs of in-house fraud

09/01/2000
The average U.S. company loses more than $9 a day per employee to fraud and abuse, according to the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE). A new ACFE report …

Stop violence with strong policy, calm approach

09/01/2000
Courts say your company has a responsibility to keep workers and customers safe from dangers that it can “reasonably anticipate.” With nearly 2 million assaults …