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Employee Relations

It cuts both ways: Be on guard for religious harassment that offends nonbelievers, too

08/13/2009

Employees are entitled to work in an environment free from religious harassment, and employers should treat such harassment just as seriously as they do any other kind of harassment. Do that by promptly investigating complaints and fixing any problems you discover. What you don’t want to do is ignore religious harassment.

Keep careful track of work-restriction notes

08/13/2009

Some bosses are visibly irked when they receive a doctor’s note restricting the work an employee can perform. If the employee notices that reaction and then gets disciplined or fired, watch out for a lawsuit! Her attorney will probably try to link the timing of the doctor’s note and the adverse employment action as proof of discrimination or retaliation. 

Poor performance terminations and COBRA: Can we deny the new COBRA subsidy?

08/13/2009

Q. We had to terminate an employee for failure to adequately perform his job responsibilities. Can we deny him the COBRA subsidy because the termination was not a layoff or a result of the economy?

Problem Solved: Real People … Real Comp & Benefits Solutions, Sept. ’09

08/11/2009

This month’s collection of real-world quick tips from American business leaders, brought to you by members of The Alternative Board.

Virginia firm’s dog lovers take a cause for the paws

08/07/2009

About a third of the 15 employees who work for ClearedJobs.net in Falls Church, Va., bring their dogs to work. So it was pretty easy for Chief Marketing Officer Kathleen Smith to convince the group to pitch in when she decided to send care packages to U.S. military working dogs in Afghanistan.

Photo contest unites global IT workforce

08/07/2009

Execs at IT provider Dimension Data had three challenges: (1) promote employee awareness of the company’s “green” initiatives; (2) address low morale as workers and the organization struggle with the economy; and (3) encourage a global workforce to interact more with each other. It solved all three problems with a photo contest.

Cincy doctor to feel some pain

08/07/2009

Dr. Walter Broadnax, owner of Cincinnati’s Pain Group, will serve five years’ probation and pay $56,246 in restitution to the state Bureau of Workers Compensation.

Beware long suspensions, even with pay! They could be adverse employment actions

08/07/2009

Traditionally, a temporary suspension with full pay hasn’t been deemed an adverse employment action, mainly because courts want to give employers time to determine what an appropriate disciplinary action might be. But if the employer extends that suspension or turns it into a transfer to a no-duties position, courts may take that into consideration.

Make sure your promotion process gives all qualified candidates enough time to apply

08/07/2009

Supervisors who want to hand-select a particular employee for a job may be tempted to play fast and loose with the company promotion process. Watch out!

Recession revisited: Is it time for cautious optimism on pay?

08/07/2009

As hard as this recession has been on everyone, it has forced organizations to look at how to spend compensation budgets more efficiently and more effectively. What has shaken out is a new system of pay raises and bonuses that rewards employees for doing top-notch work rather than for simply showing up for work. Here are five lessons compensation pros have learned during these hard times: