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Employee ‘odor policy’ must pass the smell test

04/01/2004
Issue: Can you tell an employee to take a bath? Risk: You risk a discrimination claim because, unlike other grooming-policy issues, odor lies in the eye (or nose) of the …

Post injury/illness summary until April 30 this year

03/01/2004
Between Feb. 1 and April 30, many U.S. employers must post a summary of the number of job-related injuries and illnesses that occurred in their workplace last year. Your organization can …

Not complying with new COBRA notice rules yet? Don’t panic

03/01/2004
The U.S. Labor Department published new rules last year saying that companies offering health insurance must give employees more specifics on their rights to COBRA continuing health coverage.
The rules …

Develop rules for using cell phones while driving

03/01/2004

Q. One of our managers was talking on his company cell phone when he struck and injured a pedestrian. Can the pedestrian sue the company? —P.L., Washington

Keep injury/illness summary posted until April 30

03/01/2004
Reminder: Keep your summary of job-related injuries and illnesses that occurred in your workplace last year posted until April 30. (Prior to 2003, you had to post that data only through …

Most employers fail to follow layoff-notice rules

03/01/2004
Expect federal regulators to look closer for organizations failing to comply with the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act. The law requires certain employers to give 60 days’ notice of …

Help employees put out their own fires

02/01/2004
Picture this: Employee Chris calls to tell you that his manager, Judy, is threatening to fire him if he doesn’t improve his performance. Until now, Chris tells you, he has received no feedback one way or another from Judy, so he had no idea that she was concerned. Sound familiar?

Compliments on dress and hair don’t equal sex harassment

01/01/2004
A female supervisor repeatedly complimented a female customer service rep on her choice of jewelry, clothing and hairstyle. The rep sued, alleging the constant comments were harassing and constituted a hostile …

When facing a bias lawsuit, avoid these three dumb defenses

01/01/2004
Your organization can defend itself against race discrimination lawsuits in many ways, but a recent ruling illustrates how three excuses will flop in court …

Hidden risk: Do your staff committees violate labor law?

01/01/2004
Consider these two scenarios:
1. At the suggestion of a project manager, your organization starts an employee committee to provide workers a voice in safety issues. Management and the safety …