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Employee Relations

Skipping disciplinary step? Document why

07/19/2018
If you have a progressive discipline system that gives poor performers or rule breakers a chance to reform, be sure your policy includes an escape hatch that lets you skip steps when necessary.

Prepare to turn over disciplinary records if employee files a discrimination lawsuit

07/18/2018
When an employee sues for alleged discrimination, he or she is generally entitled to access all relevant employer documents. If you disciplined the employee, chances are you will have to turn over disciplinary records concerning other staff. Don’t expect to keep those records confidential.

When punishing harassment, you may discipline different perpetrators differently

07/14/2018
Employers investigating workplace harassment accusations may wonder if all the alleged perpetrators must be disciplined equally harshly. You do have some discretion in how you mete out punishment. Just make sure you can later justify why one party was less culpable or deserved a lesser punishment than others.

Counseling, all by itself, isn’t an adverse action

07/14/2018
Do you use some form of counseling or peer review to help employees improve their performance? If so, make sure it isn’t tied directly to punishment such as demotion or termination.

Sample Policy: Social Media

07/14/2018
The following sample policy was excerpted from The Book of Company Policies, published by HR Specialist. Edit for your organization’s purposes ________________________________ “Social media (including personal and professional websites, blogs, chat rooms and bulletin boards; social networks, such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter; video-sharing sites such as YouTube; and e-mail) are a common means of […]

Outrage about news could be hurting the bottom line

07/10/2018
Controversial news, such as the recent uproar over immigration policy, could cost employers $832.5 million for every 19.2 minutes workers spend discussing and reading about it at work, according to calculations by Challenger, Gray & Christmas.

Recruiting: Attract millennials by helping pay their student loans

07/03/2018
Smart employers know it pays to appeal to millennial employees. For many millennials, one constant has defined their financial status for the entirety of their adult lives: The burden of student loan debt.

Say ‘no’ to no-shows: 8 steps to ‘pre-boarding’

07/03/2018
More employers are launching formal “pre-boarding” programs. The goal: engage new hires between the time they accept an employment offer and the first day. Here are eight ideas to keep your new hires committed and interested.

So you discover an employee is job hunting—Now what?

07/01/2018
Say you’re searching an online résumé database and spot the résumé of one of your best employees. You wonder what to do with that new information. The answer: Tailor your approach to that employee, the reason he or she is searching and whether you actually want to retain the person …

Justify discipline by documenting the reasons at the time you decided to act

06/22/2018
Courts hate to second-guess employers’ disciplinary decisions. If you are sued for discrimination, give judges every reason to believe that your organization isn’t biased. The best way is to detail the surrounding circumstances that gave rise to discipline.