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Employment Law

The HR I.Q. Test: March ’09

02/19/2009

Test your knowledge of recent trends in employment law, comp & benefits and other HR issues with our monthly mini-quiz …

Can we be liable for revoking a job offer?

02/19/2009

Q. We recently made a job offer to someone, rescinded the offer and then hired another applicant two months later. Is there anything illegal about that?

What if worker objects to her name on holiday card?

02/19/2009

Q. An employee objected to us putting her name (just her first name!) on our company’s “Holiday Greetings from Our Staff” card. She said she doesn’t celebrate holidays for religious reasons and using her name without permission was illegal. The boss said she should “get over it.” Did we set ourselves up for a lawsuit?

Can we ask about green card expiration date?

02/19/2009

Q. Can we ask an applicant or employee how long his ‘‘green card’’ is good for?

FMLA: ‘Serious Health Condition’ Defined

02/18/2009

HR Law 101: The FMLA defines a “serious health condition” as an illness, injury, impairment, or physical or mental condition that involves one of the following: hospital care, absence plus treatment, pregnancy, chronic conditions requiring treatments, permanent/long-term conditions requiring supervision, or multiple treatments (non-chronic conditions).

The safest way to handle calls for references and recommendations

02/17/2009

As the economy shrinks, unemployment is growing in New York and throughout the country. If your organization plans to lay off workers or already has, brace yourself. Lots of former employees are going to list you and your managers as references when they seek new jobs. That means it’s time to make sure you have policies in place on how to handle reference-check calls.

4 steps to bullet-proof your employee handbook

02/17/2009

Your employee handbook can be a helpful reference providing needed information, or it can turn into a weapon that employees and their attorneys can use against you in court. The choice is yours. Follow these four steps to make sure your handbook works for you, not against you.

Stamp out harassing behavior across the company

02/12/2009

When it comes to hateful and discriminatory speech and behavior, it makes no difference whether the conduct happens in the boardroom or on the factory floor. That’s why you should train everyone—from those in the executive suite to those working in the field—on your harassment policy.

Tell bosses: No comments on insurance cost, age

02/12/2009

Remind all managers and supervisors to keep any thoughts on insurance costs to themselves. If older employees end up being disproportionally affected by a reduction in force, any comments on insuring older employees may come back to haunt you.

Cite specific reasons for disciplining every employee who breaks company rules

02/12/2009

When it comes to disciplining employees, one size almost never fits all. An individual approach—one that considers the very specific circumstances that led to the discipline—is usually best.