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Employee Relations

Don’t fall into post-complaint retaliation trap

10/07/2008

Employees who file discrimination complaints are protected from retaliation. That doesn’t mean they’re immune from being punished if they break rules. Employers can and should take appropriate disciplinary action against them. The key is a careful and deliberate approach, devoid of emotion …

Track discipline to avoid retaliation against worker who charged discrimination

10/07/2008

It sometimes feels ominous when an employee accuses the company or a supervisor of discrimination and takes a complaint to the EEOC or some other agency. But those cases often reach settlement before they get out of hand. Then everyone has to get along, especially if the settlement includes reinstating the employee. HR should take the lead in making sure a potentially awkward situation works smoothly.

New twist on ‘in-kind’ gifts

10/07/2008

A report released in September by U.S. Inspector General Earl Devaney revealed a “culture of substance abuse and promiscuity” at the Royalty in Kind (RIK) division of the federal Minerals Management Service in Lakewood …

Cyclone settles same-sex drilling rig harassment case

10/07/2008

Cyclone Drilling Company of Gillette has agreed to pay $45,000 to Mark Lujan for sexual harassment he said he endured while working at a drilling rig on the Western Slope. The EEOC filed the lawsuit, claiming Lujan’s supervisor, Jim Stout, subjected him to inappropriate sexual remarks …

What should I do when fraud allegations surface?

10/07/2008

Q. A former employee is circulating a rumor that there has been some kind of fraud taking place at my business. What should I do? …

What, if anything, should I do about off-work employee harassment?

10/07/2008

Q. An employee complained that co-workers made fun of her at an after-work bowling event. She says they made fun of her accent (she is an immigrant) and talked about sexual acts involving her. She is embarrassed now and does not want to work with the people involved. Do I need to look into this, or should I refuse because the incidents took place away from work? …

Bilingual employees invaluable to you? Don’t punish them for their special skills

10/06/2008

Texas has a large number of Spanish-speaking residents, and a workforce that can effectively communicate with those residents can be a prized commodity. But before you thrust additional work on Hispanic employees who can communicate with customers who don’t speak English well, consider the following case …

Work rules can regulate some employee political advocacy

10/06/2008

On July 22, 2008, the National Labor Relations Board’s (NLRB) Office of the General Counsel issued a guidance memorandum addressing unfair labor practice (ULP) charges involving political advocacy. The impetus for the general counsel’s memorandum stemmed from a series of ULP charges filed in late 2006 involving employers that allegedly disciplined employees for participating in nationwide and local demonstrations …

OK to fire slackers even if out on FMLA leave

10/06/2008

It’s a myth that being off on FMLA leave means an employee can’t be terminated. The employee can be—as long as the employer has good reasons for the termination. Being on FMLA leave doesn’t give someone immunity from being fired for incompetence …

Employees climb mountains to improve their health

10/03/2008

Employees of Lincoln Industries will climb any mountain to improve their health. Seventy-four employees of the Lincoln, Neb.-based, steel-finishing firm climbed a 14,000-foot peak in Colorado as part of the firm’s wellness program.