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

Productivity / Performance

OK to discipline complainer who doesn’t perform

11/01/2007

Sometimes, the wrong messenger delivers bad news. That’s what happens when a poorly performing employee comes forward with a discrimination complaint. If your investigation finds that the complaint has merit, but you decide you need to fire the worker anyway, how should you proceed? Aren’t you just guaranteeing you’ll be hit with a lawsuit? …

8 little things managers can do to retain the best

11/01/2007
Login Email Address Password I forgot my password To continue reading this page, become an HR Specialist Premium Plus member today! Your subscription includes: Ask the Attorney: Answers to your HR legal questions Compliance Guidance: Access to 7,000 HR news articles, updated daily, sorted by state State-by-State: Summaries of HR laws in all 50 states […]

Saying ‘Start looking for another job’ can mean unemployment comp liability

11/01/2007

Employers that tell workers to “start looking for another job” may find themselves paying unemployment compensation when the employees do just that—by quitting right away instead of waiting for the pink slip …

Make sure job descriptions accurately list qualifications

11/01/2007

Accurate, up-to-date and comprehensive job descriptions are essential in defending against all manner of employee lawsuits. As the following case shows, you can’t argue that an applicant doesn’t have the necessary experience or education if your job description doesn’t list those qualifications …

Court: If employees hold the job, they’re ‘Qualified’

11/01/2007

Employers are finding it harder to get age discrimination cases dismissed early. They also are learning that beating age discrimination suits requires rock-solid evidence of fair and equal treatment—and a genuine, legitimate reason for discharging the employee that has nothing to do with age …

Recognize any of these 6 supervisor profiles?

10/23/2007

The hard-driving, ruthless boss may fit the stereotype of today’s most successful corporate executive. But the most effective workplace leaders are honest, caring  and flexible. Six profiles show the full spectrum of supervisory skill—as rated by employees.

Light a Fire Under Slow-to-Discipline Supervisors

10/09/2007
When it comes to disciplining problem employees, managers often find every excuse to procrastinate. But as an outsider from HR, you can provide the kind of focused intervention that gets results.

Help managers set employee deadlines: 4 do’s and don’ts

10/02/2007

Without deadlines, employees flounder. They can’t set priorities—and can’t kick it into high gear—unless their supervisors tell them. Pass along these four tips to help supervisors set realistic deadlines for their employees.

You can pro-Rate bonuses based on FMLA leave time

10/01/2007

Does your organization offer a bonus plan that rewards workers for their productivity? If so, be sure to avoid a surprisingly common mistake that’s tripped up many Indiana employers: incorrectly structuring the bonus plan—or making deductions from bonuses—in a way that violates the FMLA. A new Indiana court ruling shows how an organization can legally pro-rate an employee’s bonus …

Pay raises to stay flat in ’08 while bonus plans take off

10/01/2007

If you’re holding the line on pay raises, you’re in good company. Three new surveys agree that most employers will raise salaries between 3.8% and 3.9% for the second year in a row in 2008, halting a steady upward trend in pay raises that began in 2004 …