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Employee Relations

Don’t Let Healthy Worker Play the ‘Disabled’ Card; Know Your Rights

04/01/2006

You probably know the type: the employee who stirs the pot of discontent whenever possible. And just when you’re about to levy discipline, the person pulls out the "get out of jail free" card and tells you about some imagined disability that needs accommodation …

Monitoring Internet usage? You’re not alone

04/01/2006

Three quarters of employers responding to a new American Management Association survey said they monitor how employees spend their time online at work …

Inject more oversight, responsibility into flex schedules

04/01/2006

With flexible schedules reaching near-entitlement status, some employers are pulling in the reins on this runaway perk.
A tighter and clearer flex-schedule policy can help you regain control over the benefit and increase productivity …

Be wary of disciplining for false complaints

03/01/2006
Q. We have an employee who has filed several sexual harassment complaints. But when we investigate, they turn out to be false. Can we do something about her? —J.P., Oklahoma

Take Employees’ Pulse With Low-Cost Online Surveys

03/01/2006

Web-based surveys let you collect employee feedback on everything from benefits to where to hold the holiday party. Online surveys are cheaper and easy to administer. Here are some of the best online survey sites …

12 Real-Life Employee Appreciation Strategies That Work

03/01/2006

March 10 is Employee Appreciation Day, but you can show your gratitude throughout the year. Studies show that employees who feel valued are more likely to stay … Choose your favorite ideas from among these real-life suggestions …

Plan Ahead for Take-the-Kids-to-Work Day: April 27

03/01/2006

Annually, the fourth Thursday in April (April 27 this year) is Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day, hosted by the Ms. Foundation for Women. To head off requests and confusion about whether/when the kids can come, establish some ground rules …

Employee accessing child porn: Just saying ‘Stop’ isn’t enough

03/01/2006

When it comes to what your employees do on the Internet, "Hear no evil, see no evil and speak no evil" is a bad policy. If you know someone is using company assets and company time to engage in illegal activity, you may be obligated to report the activity to the appropriate authorities …

6 common mistakes made during investigations, training

03/01/2006

Are your anti-harassment efforts legally bulletproof, or are they full of holes? Probably somewhere in between, if you’re like most employers. Here are six holes that need patching in many employers’ training and investigation practices …

Don’t require staff to give emergency contact info

03/01/2006

Q. We’re cleaning up our personnel files and updating emergency contact information. Some employees don’t want to provide their contact information. Is it legal for us to require them to give it to us? —S.S., California