• The HR Specialist - Print Newsletter
  • HR Specialist: Employment Law
  • The HR Weekly

Employee Relations

Former Nittany Mills exec pleads guilty to wire fraud

11/13/2017

A former vice-president of operations at Nittany Paper Mills in Lewistown, Pa., has pleaded guilty to a wire fraud charge after the company discovered a two-year trail of improper transactions.

Investigating Harassment: How to Determine Credibility

11/11/2017
White Paper published by The HR Specialist ______________________ Most employers understand the importance of doing a fair and thorough investigation when they receive complaints of on-the-job harassment. In-house investigators (usually a human resources manager) often do a good job of interviewing the right people and documenting the interviews but then fall short when it comes […]

Disability doesn’t provide immunity from discipline or termination

11/08/2017

Some workers wrongly believe a disability immunizes them. If they are disciplined or terminated, they often sue. Those lawsuits will be dismissed early in the legal process if the employer takes the litigation seriously and explains exactly why the worker was disciplined or fired.

Never tie FMLA leave to employee’s performance

10/27/2017
When preparing a performance review, remind supervisors that they should never mention FMLA leave or appear to use it as a factor in the evaluation. That can lead to a big jury award later if the review is used to justify termination—even during a reduction in force.

The opposite of ‘Because I said so’

10/26/2017
“People are more likely to do what we ask them to if we give them a reason why,” says Nancy Harbut, chief creative officer at HBT Marketing.

The easy way to keep employees ‘in the know’

10/26/2017
Don’t have the time to produce a fancy company newsletter? You can still keep your employees informed about goings-on both big and small through a regular email blast .

Help employees connect with their work & workplace

10/26/2017

Gallup has found that just a third of U.S. employees are fully engaged in their jobs. At the other end, 16% of workers are “actively disengaged” in their work.

Stifle that yawn! Everyone else is bored at work, too

10/24/2017
If you’ve ever had a case of the blahs at work, you’re not alone. According to a new survey from staffing firm OfficeTeam, the average professional is bored in the office 10.5 hours per week.

Being rude isn’t a protected ethnic trait

10/18/2017

Here’s a reminder to stick with solid explanations when documenting discipline. If you have facts to back up your decision, an employee’s spurious claim of some sort of discrimination likely will be dismissed.

Turnover increasing in today’s hot economy

10/17/2017
The typical American worker stayed at their job just over five years last year, down slightly from a record high set in 2014, according to new research by the nonpartisan Employee Benefit Research Institute.