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Employee Relations

Shoot down the legal threat from camera phones

02/05/2008

Cell phones with camera capabilities can expose your organization to legal problems: privacy claims, trade-secret vulnerabilities, employee theft and more. Used inappropriately, camera phones can violate employee and customer privacy. Your best action: Write, and consistently follow, a camera-phone policy and distribute it periodically.

Succession planning is a dying art: Don’t settle for ‘Succession by Default’

02/05/2008

In their zeal for short-term company goals, an increasing number of U.S. organizations are allowing  managers to wallow in daily routines instead of preparing them for the next job. As a result, the next job is often with another company.

What to do? Employee who complained about harassment wants us to drop the investigation

02/01/2008
Q. What if the harassment victim wants the matter dropped? Do we still have to conduct an investigation?

Demoting workers who belong to a protected class

02/01/2008
Q. When making demotion decisions—especially those involving employees in protected classes—what factors should an employer take into consideration to avoid legal backlash?

HR pros: Do you know what your supervisors are saying?

02/01/2008

It’s easy to become isolated in the HR office, especially if you are physically separated from the shop floor or other work locations. So it should come as no surprise that some things that go on outside your limited view may mean trouble. That’s why you need to keep open lines of communication between HR and the field. Make sure all employees know how and where to report sexually or racially hostile language or actions …

4 simple ways to encourage employee loyalty

02/01/2008

More cash and benefits are great, but a new book, Empowering Employees, says these four incentives go further to win employees’ hearts …

When harassment suit looms, prompt action saves the day

02/01/2008

Open a New York newspaper and chances are you’ll see a headline featuring an employer in deep trouble for allegedly allowing an atmosphere of sexual or racial harassment to flourish. When you receive such a complaint, act immediately. Don’t wait. Often, that’s exactly what the employee’s attorney is hoping. Instead, investigate and reach a conclusion …

Recruiter files sexual harassment suit against K-Sea Transportation

02/01/2008

A former recruiter for K-Sea Transportation of Staten Island is suing the company for $16 million, claiming it failed to address her sexual harassment complaints …

Why do employers have to investigate harassment?

02/01/2008
Q. I know I’m supposed to investigate harassment complaints. I just don’t know what law requires it. Exactly why does an employer need to conduct an investigation of a harassment complaint?

Concerns during a harassment investigation

02/01/2008

Q. If we start an investigation about sexual harassment, is there anything we need to worry about while conducting the investigation? …