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Communication

Promote the value of your benefits plan

08/01/2003
Studies show that employees who keep their jobs after a round of layoffs tend to view their benefits package less highly. Nip that attitude in the bud by distributing a personalized …

Go from ‘paper pusher’ to ‘problem solver’

07/01/2003

If the people in your organization groan when they read one of your "To all employees" memos, it’s because they think of HR as causing problems, not solving them. You can turn that perception around.

Revamp your COBRA notices; feds float new rules

07/01/2003
Issue: New Labor Department proposals add paperwork burden.
Risk: Using outdated COBRA notices puts you on the government’s hit list, resulting in fines up to $110 per violation, per day. …

Pursue claims, even if complaining worker backs off

07/01/2003
Issue: Courts place the burden on employers to complete investigations of sexual harassment complaints, even in the face of reluctant complainants.
Risk: Failing to pursue complaints actively will come back …

Investigating workplace harassment: 10 steps to success

07/01/2003
Issue: Responding to employee harassment complaints is a high-stakes venture.
Risk: A botched investigation can damage employee moral and spark a lawsuit.
Action: Make sure you (or any manager …

Talking the talk: Be careful with these 5 ‘lightning rod’ terms

07/01/2003
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Don’t put too much stock in initial staff surveys

07/01/2003
If you’ve just started surveying employees about job satisfaction and workplace improvements, the first surveys will show unusually low scores. That’s because employees have lots of pent-up negative comments if they’ve …

Don’t sugarcoat benefit changes

05/01/2003
Many companies are cutting costs by changing their employee benefits programs. But don’t shoot from the hip when explaining these changes to employees, …

Treat disability assistance requests with speed, or risk court action

05/01/2003
When an employee asks you to accommodate her claimed disability, don’t put the request on the back burner.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires an “interactive process” with employees …

Monitoring staff phones? Hang up when you realize it’s a personal call

05/01/2003
You can monitor your employees’ communications, within reasonable limits. But you can’t let your monitoring escalate to eavesdropping and violate workers’ …