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

HR Management

Sexual Harassment: Overview

01/03/2015

HR Law 101: Sexual harassment is a form of sex discrimination prohibited under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Courts are increasingly taking a dim view of employers that don’t take decisive action to prevent sexual harassment …

FLSA: Calculating Hours Worked

01/02/2015
HR Law 101: To ensure you’re in compliance with the FLSA, it’s important to understand the definition of “hours of work.” Any hour when an employee’s on duty is considered time worked. The only period usually excluded: when an employee uses the time for personal reasons …

Workers’ Safety and Health

01/01/2015

HR Law 101: Employers have an obligation to provide a safe work environment for their employees. Those that don’t will pay a heavy price. Their workers’ compensation and other liability insurance costs will rise, workers may sue, and OSHA may impose heavy fines.

Workplace Drug Testing

01/01/2015

HR Law 101: Drug testing and substance abuse prevention programs can involve substantial legal liability if employers don’t manage and administer them properly. If your organization decides to implement a drug testing program, there are ways to minimize the risk of employee lawsuits …

5 personality types that sabotage teams–and what to do about them

12/29/2014

HR pros often have to help managers build effective project teams. It’s usually obvious who should be on a team; less clear is who makes a lousy team member. Here are five problem personality types that can turn a harmonious, winning team into a dysfunctional cage fight of clashing egos and insecurities. The good news: There are strategies to turn team chaos into collegiality.

1-Minute Strategies

12/26/2014
Here are seven quick tips to get you enthused about heading into 2015.

Why bother with job descriptions?

12/23/2014
Q. Are employers required to have job descriptions for every position within the organization?

More than a matter of style: Grooming rules can differ based on sex

12/23/2014
If you have a dress and grooming policy that sets out different rules for men and women, you aren’t necessarily setting yourself up for a sex discrimination lawsuit.

Starbucks customers to see a latte more ink

12/23/2014
In response to employee feedback, Starbucks has changed its employee appearance policy to allow employees to show more of their tattoos.

With flu outbreak spreading fast, recommend vaccine

12/23/2014
The Centers for Disease Control’s latest weekly report on the 2014-15 flu season notes widespread flu outbreaks in 29 states. That’s a twofold jump in just one week, with Southern and Midwestern states particularly hard-hit.