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Employee Relations

Use workers’ compensation policy checklist to avoid retaliation lawsuits

06/01/2007

Texas, like many states, makes it illegal to retaliate against employees who file workers’ compensation claims. To avoid such a lawsuit, make sure managers and supervisors treat injured workers fairly …

Act fast to remove supervisors who make racist comments

06/01/2007
Adopt a “zero tolerance” policy for managers or supervisors who make racist comments. Those caught making derogatory or discriminatory comments (à la Don Imus) should be promptly shut down. If you don’t fire or at least remove them immediately, their words may come back to hurt the company …

Carrot or stick? Motivating managers to finish reviews

06/01/2007

HR can waste lots of time and energy hounding supervisors to complete their performance reviews. Choose the best mix of incentives and penalties to inspire managers to do reviews right and on time …

Executive coaches can boost rising stars’ skills, leadership

06/01/2007

Can’t get your organization’s execs to sit through training sessions because they don’t want to appear vulnerable in public? Want to make sure an up-and-coming manager is ready for the next big promotion? Call an executive coach …

Good evaluation, raise don’t invalidate retaliation claim

06/01/2007

Ever since the U.S. Supreme Court made it easier to charge retaliation for complaining about alleged discrimination, the courts have been flooded with new cases probing the limits of the ruling. The new test is whether an employer’s action would “dissuade a reasonable worker from making or supporting a charge of discrimination”…

Minor lifting restriction? You probably don’t have to accommodate under the ADA

06/01/2007

The ADA is designed to help disabled Americans work to their full potential. But the law wasn’t meant to apply to everyone with minor aches, pains and ailments. That’s why most employees with light lifting restrictions aren’t covered by the law …

Classic case of age discrimination costs Lucent $195,000

06/01/2007

A 55-year-old estimator who was laid off after 34 years with Lucent Technologies, based in Murray Hill, won a significant settlement in a textbook age-discrimination case …

Track customer complaints—you may need them later

06/01/2007

If subjective criteria like attitude, leadership and being a team player are part of your organization’s employee evaluations, you’d be wise to keep detailed records of customer complaints …

Texas high court rejects employer liability for worker conduct

06/01/2007

The Texas Supreme Court recently issued two decisions limiting when employers can be held responsible for the wrongs committed by their employees. The cases offer hope that employers won’t always bear the brunt of their employees’ wrongdoing, as has often been the case in the past …

Recruiting & Retaining: 6 Real-Life Examples of Successful Programs

06/01/2007

Turnover among female employees at New York-based KPMG has declined by 22 percent in the past three years. One big reason: The KPMG Network of Women, or KNOW, helps female staff with professional development …