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Employee Relations

Employee should have given firm a chance to stop harassment

07/08/2008
Preston Kelley began working for Taher Acquisition Corp. in October 2006. Approximately three months later, Kelley’s supervisor, Mark Good, kicked him in the buttocks, laughed and blew kisses at him. Kelley reported the incident to the company’s operations manager …

Union-Free and eager to stay that way

07/07/2008
Q. Our company has operated union-free for many years. How can we best protect ourselves against future union-organizing activities? …

During union drive, don’t unfairly target pro-Union employees

07/07/2008
Nothing will escalate an already tense workplace during a union-organizing drive and subsequent election than punishing pro-union employees. While you can certainly continue with any evaluations or disciplinary actions that are warranted, beware of targeting anyone involved in the union push …

Teacher fired for burning cross on student’s arm

07/07/2008
The Mount Vernon City Schools’ Board of Education has moved to terminate a middle school teacher accused of burning a cross into a student’s arm. Over the years, school board officials have reprimanded Freshwater several times for refusing to remove his Bible from his classroom desk and teaching creationism alongside evolution …

Employees don’t get to set work standards—You do!

07/07/2008
It’s far too easy to lose control over your workforce. All you have to do is let employees dictate how supervisors measure their performance. Don’t let it happen to your organization. Instead, let employees know how you will judge how well they’re performing and then stick with those measures …

Feel free to set punishment that fits the crime

07/07/2008
Employers can and should decide each employee discipline case on its own merits. Just make sure someone in HR or a supervisor keeps close tabs on all discipline and documents the decision. Notes should include specifics: the rule broken, its effect and its relative seriousness …

Protect frequent business fliers with travel assistance plan

07/03/2008
Your organization’s frequent business travelers know that political unrest, terrorism and natural disasters increase the risk of trekking to foreign destinations. Calm their fears—and keep them safe—by prearranging for medical care should they fall ill or be injured, legal or financial help in case they’re robbed, or evacuation if there’s a disaster …

Employees reveal 6 most pressing workplace challenges

07/03/2008
BusinessWeek readers have identified their top six workplace challenges: work/life balance, staying “entrepreneurial,” toxic bosses, time management, negotiating bureaucracy and generational tension …

Long list of conveniences keeps employees on board

07/03/2008
The HR team at Insomniac Games in Burbank, Calif., constantly surveys employees to learn which benefits they want. The exercise, says HR Director Carrie Dieterle, boosts productivity. One employee favorite: the firm’s $125,000-a-year snack program …

10 ways to help ease employees’ pain at the pump

07/03/2008
Nearly a third of HR pros in a recent survey reported knowing at least one employee who quit in the past year because the high price of gas made the commute too expensive. Some organizations are addressing the driving dilemma—and revving up their retention programs—by pushing telework and shorter workweeks. But other employers take an even more direct approach: paying for employees’ gas …