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Employee Relations

Can we require employees to get flu shots?

10/06/2009

Approximately 3 million doses of the vaccines designed to prevent the H1N1 flu virus—swine flu—shipped last week. Local health authorities are preparing to offer vaccines as early as this week. Can you—should you?—demand that your employees get flu shots?

Before firing, make sure you treated others just the same

10/05/2009

Before you fire any employee, double-check to make sure others who performed just as poorly or made similar mistakes were also terminated. Doing so may prevent a lawsuit … or, if you are sued, at least provide evidence that you treat everyone alike.

Playing favorites: How to avoid unintended partiality in decisions, reviews

10/05/2009
Do you “play favorites” with certain employees? Most managers would probably say “no,” but people often harbor unconscious perceptions that can influence day-to-day decision-making and job reviews of the employees they manage. Several factors unrelated to employee performance can impact evaluations conducted by managers.

Office communication: Align practices with employee perceptions

10/02/2009

Sometimes it seems like supervisors and employees work in entirely different places. For years, researchers have known that bosses and line workers have widely varying views about things like priorities, performance ratings, communication and benefits. Here are eight areas for which recent studies have revealed major disconnects between what employees want and what their bosses think they want:

Quitting time? Performance improvement plan not enough to justify discrimination lawsuit

10/01/2009

Performance improvement plans (PIPs) are great tools to help underperforming employees come up to standards. But some employees think they can file a lawsuit anytime they are placed on a PIP or are justified in quitting. As the following case shows, that’s not necessarily true.

Updated web site helps bulletproof your accommodation practices

09/30/2009

The ADA requires employers to enter into an interactive process with disabled employees to find accommodations that allow them to perform the essential functions of their jobs. Recently, the federal government updated its Job Accommodation Network (JAN) web site, which employers can use to to find specific accommodation information.

So long, Brett: Ex-Jet Favre’s ROI among lowest for QBs

09/30/2009

Think your performance evaluations are tough? Try being an NFL quarterback. Bizjournals ranked all 36 NFL quarterbacks who threw at least 160 passes during the 2008 season to see who delivered the most bang for the buck. Last season’s New York Jets QB Brett Favre placed 34th out the 36 signal callers rated.

We’re small; do we need an employee handbook?

09/29/2009

Q. We are a small company and do not have an employee handbook. Are we required to have one?

Employee lawsuits set record! How to tame the outbreak

09/29/2009

If discrimination has always been a head-in-the-sand issue for you and your organization, it’s time to get serious about your policies and practices. Discrimination complaints of all types—race, sex, age, etc.—have skyrocketed in the past year as the economy has fallen. Here’s how to avoid becoming one of the EEOC’s targets.

Why managers play favorites—and how to spot it

09/29/2009

Do you "play favorites” with certain employees? Most managers would probably say “no,” but people often harbor unconscious perceptions that can influence day-to-day decision-making and job reviews of the employees they manage. Several factors unrelated to employee performance can impact evaluations conducted by managers.