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Employment Law

Inquire about confidentiality agreements

10/01/2004

Q. If a job applicant doesn’t mention that he or she is subject to a confidentiality agreement, should we ask? —L.M., Maryland

Juries punish rushed investigations; keep an open mind

10/01/2004
Issue: Following correct protocol when investigating harassment complaints. Risk: Courts will slap organizations with big punitive damage awards …

Are you doing enough to stop employee identity theft?

10/01/2004
Your employee records are a gold mine for identity thieves. How should you secure them? A new Society for Human Resource Management survey says 95 percent …

You can ban outsiders from ADA accommodation talks

10/01/2004
When you’re trying to work out job accommodations with disabled employees, they may ask to bring others into the discussion. Must you allow this? No, according …

Don’t be afraid to face down a harassing CEO

09/01/2004
It’s easy to tell a mail clerk to knock off his harassing comments, but try telling the same thing to your CEO or other top dog. The truth is, though, that …

Study insurance policies for legally hazardous exclusions

09/01/2004
Probe the fine print on terms and conditions of employee benefits plans and other insurance policies covering employees. And if you’re shopping around for new coverage, pay attention to provisions or …

Start of absence, not approval date, sets 12-week FMLA clock ticking

09/01/2004
Under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), eligible employees can take up to 12 weeks of job-protected, unpaid leave. When do those 12 weeks officially begin? A new court ruling …

Don’t fire employee because of family’s high health costs

09/01/2004
With health insurance costs soaring, employers may be tempted to make hiring/firing decisions based on whether a person is a drain on the organization’s health costs. Our advice: Don’t even think …

Tell managers never to show their cards before making hiring decision

09/01/2004
Now’s a good time to remind your hiring managers that they should never reveal to job candidates whom they plan to hire. They should provide only neutral comments until they’re ready …

Remind employees to closely read the forms and policies they sign

09/01/2004
Make sure to clearly inform employees who take medical or disability leave at the outset about the length and terms of their leave and the consequences of failing to return to …