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Productivity / Performance

4 steps to help employees reach their peak performance

08/01/2007
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Document elements of exempt position to knock down FLSA claims

08/01/2007

Winning Fair Labor Standards Act cases involving employees who claim they shouldn’t have been classified as exempt usually means being able to document exactly what employees do on the job and the conditions under which they work …

What Makes an Environment ‘Hostile’?

08/01/2007

Q. What factors determine whether an environment is “hostile”? …

Not all absences are equal; punishment needn’t be either

08/01/2007

You know you can’t go easy on one person for attendance problems and come down hard on another for the same offense—especially if he or she belongs to a protected class. But, as the following case shows, courts will conclude a discipline process wasn’t discriminatory if you can show that tardiness or absenteeism affected important work goals, such as productivity …

Mere psychiatric diagnosis does not a disability make

08/01/2007

Not everyone who has a diagnosed psychiatric condition is disabled and entitled to protection under the ADA. Before you authorize reasonable accommodations or allow a psychiatric condition to become an excuse for poor performance, decide whether the condition rises to the level of a covered disability …

Evaluating employee performance without creating legal liability

08/01/2007

Performance evaluations are important tools to help employers gauge whether employees are performing at expected levels. They can help organizations spot talent and leadership potential, while identifying areas where employees need extra training and support. Evaluations also can protect employers from frivolous lawsuits filed by employees who claim they’ve been demoted, fired or otherwise unfairly treated when the real reason was poor performance …

Improve your time management: 6 tips for managers

07/31/2007
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Think you have a drug-Free workplace? Think again

07/17/2007

If you think your workplace is drug-free, chances are you’re wrong. According to a new government survey, one of every 12 U.S. workers uses illegal drugs. That’s up from earlier surveys. Here’s more on the trend and what employers can do about it …

Continually asking as good as ordering, appeals court finds

07/01/2007

The 7th U.S. District Court of Appeals upheld damages for a towboat captain fired after he refused to push a load he considered unsafe …

To bury age discrimination, track decision-makers’ ages, too

07/01/2007

As the population gets older, age discrimination cases are sure to become more commonplace. Some tried-and-true administrative processes can discourage those claims …