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Employee Relations

Beware warnings that could limit future pay

05/14/2012

Most HR professionals assume that a warning letter isn’t an adverse employment action and there­­fore can’t be the basis for a lawsuit. And that’s largely true. But if the warning letter also mentions restrictions on how well the employee will be rated at evaluation time, there may be trouble.

Setting performance goals: Easy as A, B, C

05/08/2012
For each employee’s performance expectations, set A, B and C goals, suggests the SmartBlog on Leadershop. “C” goals are Comfortable; “B” goals are Believable; “A” goals are Awesome.

Before approving discipline, check last review

05/07/2012
When a supervisor recommends discipline or anything else that could be viewed as an adverse employment action, be sure to check the employee’s latest evaluation before you approve it. If what the boss says is currently going on appears inconsistent with the evaluation, find out why.

When sexual harassment accusations fly, investigate and discipline right away

05/02/2012
Here’s a lesson learned from an employer that responded correctly when an employee complained about sexual harassment. Not only did it conduct a thorough investigation that helped it win a lawsuit, but it also prevented another potential sexual harassment claim when it discovered even more egregious behavior—from the original complainant himself.

Cops: Accountant skims $333K over course of 10 years

05/01/2012
It took 10 years, but an accounting employee of Hershey Entertainment & Resorts managed to sock away a tidy nest egg totaling more than $333,000. The only trouble, according to police and prosecutors: She built her savings account by embezzling the funds from her employer.

Categorize reasons why you impose employee discipline

05/01/2012
You probably know you must document all disciplinary actions. Take that a step further by categorizing the discipline.

In Chicago classroom, teachable moment or racism?

05/01/2012
A white Chicago teacher was suspended for five days after he used the N-word in what he described as a “teachable moment.”

Focus on poor performance when terminating

05/01/2012

Sometimes, it’s obvious that an employee will not work out. If that employee belongs to a protected class, you may be tempted to treat her with kid gloves. Don’t. Instead, keep the focus on performance deficiencies.

Good documentation is the key to legally disciplining employees

05/01/2012
How you document a discipline issue can cause problems if an employee files a lawsuit. To protect your organization, follow these guidelines:

Job descriptions are works in progress … Stay on top of them!

04/30/2012
There’s a good chance that what your employees actually do every day has little in common with what’s written in their job descriptions. That’s a problem. Inaccurate or in­­complete job descriptions can cause legal liability for ­­employers, especially if the EEOC or the DOL comes calling.