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Communication

Will ‘Bullying Victim’ Become The Next Protected Category?

07/30/2007

Several states are debating legislation that would make “workplace bullying” an illegal practice, like discrimination or harassment. Passage of such bills would increase your liability risks and force you to referee personality disputes. Here’s the status of the legislation, and how your organization should respond …

The WARN Act: When must you notify employees of layoffs?

07/01/2007

The federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act requires certain employers to give their employees at least 60 days notice before a plant closing or mass layoff …

Continually asking as good as ordering, appeals court finds

07/01/2007

The 7th U.S. District Court of Appeals upheld damages for a towboat captain fired after he refused to push a load he considered unsafe …

Prevent hostile-environment lawsuits: No teasing allowed

07/01/2007

Many employees today are sensitive about their ethnic backgrounds, but may hesitate to report teasing or name-calling for fear of being seen as troublemakers. That means a lawsuit could be brewing …

The best managers are the best listeners: 4 steps

07/01/2007
Managers spend a good part of their workday listening to other people. But bear in mind, there’s a big difference between “passive” and “active” listening. In many cases, managers are too busy thinking about their response rather than listening to the employee’s full statement. In a business setting, this lack of attention can result in […]

You are required to notify employees who have been exposed to air contaminants

07/01/2007

Q. What are the requirements for eliminating welding fumes? According to recent air contaminant testing, our employees are exposed to fumes that exceed the permissible limit. Michigan OSHA (MIOSHA) has not inspected us. Are we required to notify MIOSHA or the federal OSHA of the test results? Are we required to notify anyone else? …

Court: Constitution protects religious bulletin board messages

07/01/2007

A federal government agency’s policy barring “items of religious preference” from agency bulletin boards is unconstitutional, the U.S. District Court, Southern District of Ohio ruled …

7 common employee gripes (and how to silence them)

06/01/2007

Educate employees about the value of disability insurance

06/01/2007

Thirty percent of employees between the ages of 35 and 65 will become disabled for at least 90 days at least once during their working years … That means you can count on a steady stream of short-term disability insurance claims. Do you know how much those claims cost your organization? Almost half of employers do not …

KPMG’s ‘Network of Women’ cuts turnover of female staff

06/01/2007

Nearly 80 percent of the female employees at New York-based KPMG think it’s a great place to work, up from 63 percent in 2004, a company survey shows. Sandra Bushby, director of women’s initiatives, says that’s because of the firm’s “Network of Women”…