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Employee Relations

Disability insurance kicks in on Day 1 at Virginia firm

09/05/2008

A short- and long-term disability-income protection plan kicks in the very day an employee starts work at Snagajob.com in Richmond, Va. The company pays 100% of the insurance, which lets employees receive 60% of their salary while on disability leave …

Team-building trips bolster software company’s retention

09/05/2008

Team building is a core value at DAXKO in Birmingham, Ala., where each employee gets $50 per quarter to participate in a group activity with co-workers. Teams have gone white-water rafting, wine tasting or horseback riding …

Management Circa 1943: Is Your Workplace Still Stuck There?

09/03/2008
"Hire married women; they’re less likely to flirt." "Give women frequent breaks to touch up their hair and lipstick." A lot has changed since 1943, when that outlandish management advice actually appeared in print. Yet plenty of managers still hold outdated beliefs—and in the 21st century, they could land you in court. BONUS! 11 tips from yesteryear on how to manage women!

Manager’s racist comment may seal the deal on hostile environment

09/03/2008

If you don’t punish it right away, even a single racist comment by a manager can result in an employee filing a racially hostile environment claim. Here’s why: If the employee on the receiving end is also being dealt with harshly by her boss, she can effectively link the comment with the other poor treatment …

Document deficiencies, don’t fret over false accusations

09/03/2008

Some employees—confronted with their own shortcomings—insist on deflecting blame. Perhaps they try to argue that so-and-so—who doesn’t belong to the same protected class—always gets away with the same poor work and conduct that they’re being criticized for. If you truly believe there is no merit to such an employee’s allegations, you probably don’t need to sweat it …

8 strategies: Make flex plans work for you

09/02/2008
Your organization wouldn’t offer flexible work arrangements such as flextime and compressed workweeks if management didn’t believe the benefits outweighed the costs. Yet surveys show that few organizations have formal and consistent policies in place to manage their flex programs.

Investigate to find truth behind discrimination complaints

09/02/2008
Sometimes a supervisor targets the members of protected classes for poor treatment. But what looks like discrimination sometimes isn’t. Employers can learn the truth—and often protect themselves from liability—by holding off on discipline until after HR has conducted a thorough, independent investigation …

Lawful Off-Duty Activities Statute requires caution before discharge

09/02/2008
Colorado employees are protected from being fired for engaging in lawful activities while off duty that are unrelated to their job duties. Employers should carefully consider discharging someone if it appears that off-duty activities may be a factor. It’s crucial to tie disciplinary action to legitimate job concerns apart from any outside activities …

Don’t let disability assumptions lead you to believe employee can’t work at all

09/02/2008

Employers that wrongly regard injured employees as disabled by refusing to consider them for any open positions may be setting themselves up for “regarded as disabled” litigation. The ADA makes it illegal to discriminate against employees by assuming they are disabled when they are not …

Handle with care if older employee’s performance slips

09/02/2008
When some employees approach retirement, they begin to coast. They may think that there’s no way their employer will let them go at their age, assuming management will be afraid of an Age Discrimination in Employment case. The truth is, that worker isn’t untouchable. Here’s how to handle the situation when you discover the employee is still coming to work but has mentally retired …