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Employee Relations

Trust your fair policies: they’ll prevail in court

08/26/2011

It’s a simple fact: You can’t tell which of your employees might sue you one day or for what reason. Your only real protection is fairness. If you treat all employees equally and provide them with the same opportunities, training and discipline, chances are any lawsuit will eventually be dismissed.

Placed on PIP? That’s no reason to quit

08/26/2011
Employees placed on performance improvement plans (PIP) sometimes suspect that they are about to be fired. But that doesn’t mean they can jump the gun, quit and apply for unemployment compensation.

Miami bank VP behind bars–& barred from banking for life

08/26/2011
For 15 years, Silvia Angelico Nieto served faithfully as a vice president and relationship manager in Northern Trust N.A.’s international private banking division. Or so the Miami bank thought. Turns out, she spent at least part of that time misdirecting more than $4 million dollars into her own personal bank accounts.

Put brakes on discipline when allegations of supervisor harassment seem credible

08/26/2011
It would be naïve to think your organization’s supervisors would never sexually harass subordinates. Here’s what to do when an em­­ployee complains she’s being sexually har­­­­assed. Make sure you investigate thoroughly. Don’t approve any discipline recommended by the same supervisor until you have had a chance to verify or disprove the allegations.

Employee’s poor personal hygiene puts you in a difficult situation

08/15/2011

Telling a person they have bad breath or body odor is difficult to do. That’s why so many managers toss this employee problem HR’s way. You need to toss it back to the managers.

Workplace Pranks: More Costly Than Funny

08/15/2011
As April Fool’s Day approaches, some employees might be scheming to pull a range of pranks on unsuspecting co-workers. Of the 6,800-plus employees surveyed by Careerbuilder.com in 2008, 32% reported having either initiated or been on the receiving end of an April 1 prank.

20/20: Small business best benefits practices

08/12/2011
Only big companies can offer generous benefits, right? Wrong! SHRM and the Families and Work Institute have uncovered dozens of examples of small organizations—those with staffs of 20 or fewer—that think big when it comes to employee benefits. See how many of these ideas might be right for your small business.

No-raise promotions: A handy tool, but beware risks of ‘title fluffing’

08/11/2011
While salary budgets are up this year—merit raises are running near 3.0% compared with 2.7% in 2010—some still-skittish employers are more likely to dole out title raises rather than extra cash. The danger: Organizations may give gratuitous no-pay promotions instead of using the practice as a selective ­reward and retention strategy.

Cydcor employees take charge of charity effort

08/04/2011

When they’re not matching businesses with outsourced, face-to-face sales teams, Cydcor employees are putting smiles on the faces of children in Peru, Cambodia and Rwanda. Employees have raised nearly $150,000 for Operation Smile, a children’s medical charity.

Just looking at the caller ID, you’re already dreading answering the phone. The person on the other end of the line is …

08/02/2011
Ouch! Be glad you’re not a vendor—the people HR pros really don’t want to talk to.