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Employee Relations

Make sure employees know FMLA policy on returning to work

11/01/2007

Employers can require employees who are off work for an FMLA-qualifying illness (their own serious health condition or that of a child, spouse or parent) to provide updates on their conditions. But watch out if you have a policy that calls for termination if the employee fails to report for work when his doctor said he would be ready to return—especially if more FMLA leave is still available. Make absolutely sure the employee knows about the rule …

8 little things managers can do to retain the best

11/01/2007
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Delivering bad news? Many bosses hide behind e-Mail

11/01/2007

RadioShack earned a public relations beating last year when it used e-mail notifications to alert 400 employees at its Texas headquarters that they were being laid off. But that practice may be more popular than you think …

Spirit of anti-Harassment policy more important than details

11/01/2007

Chances are your anti-harassment policy includes instructions for reporting any problems. That’s not enough—you also must make sure the policy is implemented. But don’t worry if circumstances require you to veer slightly from the policy …

Employer must show reasonable basis for ‘Honest belief’

11/01/2007

Employers don’t have to be perfect decision-makers—just honest ones. That means that disciplining or even firing someone because you believed the employee violated a rule is OK even if you turn out to be wrong about the violation. Be prepared, though, to prove to a court that your belief was based on particular facts, not just guesses …

You’d think they’d know better

11/01/2007

It seems everybody’s a comedian at the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT), where off-color e-mails have been flying. Unfortunately for ODOT, not everyone in the audience is laughing. One incident involved an equal employment opportunity officer in the department’s Lima office, who sent an e-mail to a number of ODOT employees featuring a picture of a woman with large breasts and a caption …

Casino Queen faces race discrimination lawsuit

11/01/2007

Twenty-two current and former workers for Casino Queen of East Saint Louis filed a federal lawsuit alleging the casino disciplines black workers more harshly than white workers and favors white employees in giving job assignments and promotions …

Attendance abuse and the FMLA

11/01/2007

Q. Our company has certain employees who we believe abuse our absentee policy. We use a “no fault” system, but we do excuse FMLA absences. Typically, when employees get close to discipline or termination, they begin the paperwork for an FMLA absence. Do you have any suggestions on how we could better police the FMLA process to limit abuse? …

Green light to discipline managers who doctor time cards

11/01/2007

In today’s litigious environment, it doesn’t take much for a disgruntled employee to launch a class-action overtime lawsuit. In fact, such litigation is sweeping the country—and costing employers millions of dollars. That’s why conscientious employers act fast to stamp out a dangerous and illegal practice: managers altering pay records to avoid paying overtime. If you catch managers cooking the payroll books, punish them promptly …

Will Isiah Thomas verdict open sex harassment floodgates?

11/01/2007

You probably heard about last month’s big $11.6 million sexual harassment verdict against former basketball star and New York Knicks coach Isiah Thomas. The bad news: Your employees heard about it, too … and it planted a seed in their minds. Will they see your organization’s pockets as the path to a similar windfall? …