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Employee Relations

$1 million to Rochester, Minn. cop who spoke her mind online

12/28/2017

Citing rules against discussing personnel matters, Rochester, Minn. city officials are remaining silent concerning a $1 million payout to a 25-year veteran of the city’s police force who was disciplined after making controversial online comments about current events.

Factor disciplinary history into punishment

12/28/2017

An employee with a prior disciplinary history may deserve more severe punishment for rule-breaking than a co-worker with a clean record. However, you must document that history and the role it played in your decision-making.

Employee admits sexual harassment? Be sure documentation reflects that

12/22/2017

When investigating sexual harass­­­ment, make sure you document every interview, including any with the alleged harasser. That way, if you end up discharging the alleged harasser, you minimize the chances that he might win a defamation lawsuit against your organization.

Lawsuit based on lies? Employer may win fees

12/22/2017

Courts don’t want to dissuade employees from filing lawsuits by ordering workers to pay the employer’s legal fees. However, that’s not the case when an employee obviously lies.

Congratulations on winning that lawsuit! Don’t count on collecting attorneys’ fees

12/22/2017

If employers lose an employment discrimination case, they end up paying the worker’s legal bills in addition to back pay and other monetary awards. But what happens if the employer wins? Don’t count on the losing side paying up.

Investigating harassment in the #MeToo era

12/07/2017

Tales of sexual harassment from Hollywood to Washington have HR departments everywhere pondering the worst-case scenario: What if someone has been harassing co-workers for years? That ticking time bomb could go off at any time.

… Workers resist new responsibilities

12/01/2017
Change in the workplace is inevitable. So is the bickering and resistance when the change means new and different duties for employees. Here is how to handle the team’s resistance to more or different work.

It’s an epidemic! More workers fake being sick

11/28/2017

Just don’t feel like going into work today? You’re not alone, but be careful what you tell the boss. They’ve heard all the excuses.

Best holiday gift for employees could be a simple ‘thank you’

11/28/2017

A little appreciation can go a long way with employees. This holiday season, remind supervisors to stuff their employees’ stockings with a simple “thank you” for a year of loyal service.

Snapshot: Formal appraisals are still the top performance tool

11/28/2017

Most organizations continue to use formal performance appraisals to assess how employees are doing and determine how much to pay them.