Policies / Handbooks

Office betting pools: Is it time to crack down?

02/08/2016

You don’t need to crack down on minor pools, but you should write a policy on habitual gambling at work. The real danger of office bracketology lies in its effect on compulsive gamblers who may be on your payroll.

Can you rein in political speech at work?

02/02/2016

Most employers would prefer employees focus on work and not the state of the world when they are on the clock. So how can you quell political arguments in the workplace? You must balance employees’ interest in speaking freely with your interest in maintaining order and productivity:

Tie HR to business strategy with the right mission statement

01/29/2016

HR mission statements can inspire the workplace and increase support from senior management and executive leadership.

Where pot is legal, what happens when employees test positive?

01/18/2016

In states where recreational and medical marijuana is legal, 41% of employers have a zero-tolerance policy for anyone who tests positive.

Signs you have a drug problem at work

01/14/2016

When drugs don’t seem to present a problem within a company, it’s easy to develop a cavalier attitude about them. That’s not smart.

Can we have a policy prohibiting employees from discussing how much they earn?

01/12/2016

Q. We have always had a policy prohibiting employees from discussing their salary or wages with co-workers. It can cause discord among employees and possibly impact morale. Is it unlawful for Minnesota employers to have such a policy?

Feds target no-fault attendance

01/08/2016

No-fault attendance programs were designed to be completely objective, the idea being that all absences and therefore all workers are treated equally. But the FMLA and ADA require employers to know why an employee was absent, so the “hear no evil” approach can’t work.

Bad-weather absences: When must you pay exempt employees?

12/16/2015

The snow’s coming down pretty good and an exempt employee calls to say she can’t make it in today because her car is stuck. Can you deduct a full day’s pay from her salary for that missed day? What if she’s non-exempt? What if you close work because of bad weather? Here’s guidance to help you make the call.

Holidays 2016: When will employers shut their doors?

11/19/2015

While the federal government will shut down on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, only 35% of private employers plan to do the same, according to a new Society for Human Resource Management Holiday Schedules 2016 survey.

Detail exact terms for paying out accrued but unused vacation and sick leave

11/09/2015

New York Labor Law requires employers to notify employees “in writing or by publicly posting the employer’s policy on sick leave, vacation, personal leave, holidays and hours.” If employers do so, then the written policy governs whether the employee is entitled to payment of unused leave on termination.