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Policies / Handbooks

Handbook make-over: 4 guidelines to follow, 5 policies to include

08/23/2011

Each year, new employment laws go on the books and courts write thousands of decisions interpreting old laws. Yet, year after year, HR pros reach up onto a dusty shelf to hand new employees the same old employee handbook someone wrote years ago. It’s time for a rewrite. Here’s the guidance you need to get started.

Can we require grooming standards without being guilty of religious bias?

08/18/2011
Q. Our company requires male employees to keep their hair short. However, a recent applicant has stated that his religion does not allow him to cut his hair. Will requiring him to cut his hair to get the job violate federal law?

Arbitration agreement should stand on its own, separately from employee handbook

08/18/2011
Even if an arbitration agreement is fair and evenhanded enough to meet California standards, employers still have to clear the hurdle of showing that employees knew about the policy and agreed to it. That means making sure that employees actually read the document—or at least sign off that they did or had the opportunity to do so.

Back to school … with your office supplies?

08/16/2011
If you’re the person who orders office supplies in your organization, take a look at your month-to-month purchasing in recent years. Do you notice a spike in spending—triggered by a drop in inventory—from mid-August to early September? Our new “HR Soapbox” blog offers ideas for stopping “back-to-school” pilferage.

Pay Statements: 50 State Laws

08/11/2011

Most states have laws that require employers to provide workers with regular statements about their compensation. To help you prevent pay-stub violations, this downloadable PDF chart cites the pay-statement laws for all states that have such laws. Plus, it explains whether pay stubs can be provided to employees electronically …

Chicago’s Jackson Park Hospital faces bias, retaliation charges

08/11/2011
The EEOC is suing Jackson Park Hos­pital and Medical Center for race dis­crimination and retaliation, alleging that the South Side Chicago institution condones race bias and retaliated against workers who complained about discrimination.

Serious rules violation enough to void unemployment comp

08/10/2011
Employers have a right to expect em­­ployees to follow the work rules laid out for them. Employees who are terminated for breaking those rules won’t be eligible for unemployment compensation because it was their fault they were discharged.

Use break room posters to cut legal liability

08/10/2011

Employers know they are supposed to provide their employees with in­­­­for­mation about how to handle discrimination or harassment. Most employers put up a poster on a break room bulletin board to outline the process. This simple practice can prove invaluable when an employee tries to use ignorance as an excuse for not complaining right away.

Music in the workplace: Motivator or distractor?

08/09/2011
The explosion of iPods, satellite radio and Internet music stations makes it easy for employees to create their own personal soundscape at work. But what’s music to one set of ears is grating noise to another. Here’s what HR needs to consider to strike the right note on workplace music policies.

When can we fire for offensive body odor?

08/01/2011
Q. We have a staff member with body odor so bad that other staff members have complained and even threatened to leave the company. The employee has been disciplined several times and required to go home without pay until she agrees to comply with our grooming code. At what point can we legally terminate her?