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Discipline / Investigations

Can we fire an employee for refusing to take a lie detector test?

11/15/2010
Q. One of our employees filed a sexual harassment complaint against another worker. After interviewing both parties, we are unable to resolve the credibility conflict. We asked the accused co-worker to take a polygraph exam, but he refused. Can we fire the employee for refusing to take the lie detector test?

When harassment allegations surface, launch comprehensive investigation right away

11/15/2010

Are you sure your company is doing everything it can to prevent lawsuits? Start by looking at how you react to discrimination complaints. If you know exactly what to do from the moment an employee first complains until he or she files a federal lawsuit, there’s no need to read further. But if you hesitated for even a moment, keep reading.

Take action to separate, investigate as soon as you hear sexual harassment allegations

11/15/2010

Juries are unpredictable, so smart employers do everything they can to avoid a jury trial. That’s especially important when an employee claims sexual harassment. It’s critical to investigate sexual harassment allegations as soon as they surface. Then act fast to separate the involved employees before more harm is done.

Set up systems to prevent employee sabotage

11/12/2010

Employees often have legitimate reasons for accusing their employers of retaliation. But sometimes, employees themselves retaliate against a company, either out of malice, or to head off being fired. That’s one reason it pays to try to anticipate employee misfeasance and guard against sabotage.

Conducting workplace investigations: A step-by-step guide

11/10/2010
Disputes between co-workers and between employees and their bosses are almost inevitable—which is why every HR professional must know how to gather the necessary facts to find out what’s going on. Take some time to think about and plan your inquiry even for simple, seemingly routine issues. If the situation is complicated or raises a red flag about possible legal claims, a well-planned investigation can be critically important.

Scam against Cisco could mean 20 years for IT manager

11/01/2010
An IT manager at the Woodbury-based Postal Credit Union has pleaded guilty to scamming computer giant Cisco Systems out of $388,000 by swapping allegedly defective Cisco parts for good ones and then reselling the replacements on the open market.

If absenteeism not disability-related, feel free to discipline

11/01/2010

You should hold disabled employees to the same behavioral standards as other employees, unless there is a good disability-related reason to deviate from the rules. For example, if you set strict time limits for lunches and authorized breaks, there is no reason to give disabled employees more time unless allowing more time is a legitimate reasonable accommodation.

Tollway EEO officer claims punishment after complaints

11/01/2010
An Equal Employment Opportunity officer with the Illinois Tollway has sued the agency, claiming she was suspended in retaliation for two reports she wrote alleging contracting improprieties by its former chief procurement officer.

Steamed at Maxwell House, employee wins reinstatement

10/25/2010

Francena Smith will return to her former job at Kraft Foods’ Maxwell House division in Jacksonville following an arbitrator’s decision. Smith filed an EEOC gender discrimination claim alleging she was disciplined more harshly than several male workers who were also involved in incidents at the plant that caused contamination of the coffee.

Document all efforts to investigate complaints

10/25/2010
One of the best ways to show you took a harassment or discrimination complaint seriously is to come up with figures quantifying your efforts to resolve it. A critical step: logging the number of hours you spent investigating claims, along with a detailed account of all the other steps you took.