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Policies / Handbooks

What darkness lurks inside your employee handbook?

07/11/2013
When was the last time you took a red pen to your em­­ployee handbook? One court recently warned you better fix the problems or your handbook could be held against you as “Exhibit A” in court …

Worker hinting at harassment? Provide policy

07/10/2013

You probably make sure all your employees have read your sexual harassment policy. That doesn’t mean they always follow it. If an employee is hinting that she’s being harassed, your best approach may be to hand her another copy and urge her to report any problems right away.

Add civility code to prevent avoidable lawsuits

07/09/2013
Do you have a comprehensive civility code? If not, consider adding one. A work environment contaminated by yelling, cursing and other uncivil behavior could lead to discrimination and retaliation lawsuits.

Can we ban moonlighting?

07/08/2013
Q. We have an employee who recently started working a second job. We currently don’t have a rule against moonlighting, but now he frequently comes in late and tired. It’s really affecting his work. Are we legally entitled to ban second jobs?

Does employee use of DOL ‘timesheet’ app mean we can’t ban cellphones?

07/05/2013
Q. To curb wasted time and keep workers on task, we are banning cellphones at work. Now one of our employees has told us that she has the Department of Labor’s wage-and-hour app on her iPhone. She says she uses it to track her hours worked, and that we are illegally preventing her from using it. Will our ban hold up legally?

Want to offer additional leave for disability? Be sure policy is drafted in your favor

07/05/2013

By now, you no doubt know that instantly firing someone who isn’t ready to return from FMLA leave may land you in legal trouble. Some employers have addressed this situation by crafting a policy that provides some additional leave. If you decide to do that, make sure you get legal help creating the actual policy.

Sudden severance switch raises bias red flags

07/05/2013
Here’s something to consider if you suspect an employee you want to terminate might sue for some form of discrimination. Offering a severance payment conditioned on waiving the right to sue could backfire if that’s not what you usually do.

Reining in absences & tardiness: 7 do’s and don’ts

07/05/2013
Managers can’t instantly say, “Be here or be fired” to an employee struggling with attendance issues. Managers have to work with HR to employ strategies that not only combat absenteeism, but also avoid legal trouble.

4 tactics to trigger wellness participation

07/04/2013

The Affordable Care Act will allow employers to offer health insurance discounts to employees who take part in wellness programs. However, it’s not required. Whether you’re considering premium incentives or not, try these tactics to attract workers to your wellness program.

If it’s carefully crafted, you can make an arbitration agreement stick

06/27/2013
Good news for employers that want to settle employment-related disputes through arbitration instead of risking a jury trial. The Court of Appeal of California has upheld an arbitration agreement that was presented to all employees when they were hired.