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HR Management

Angry callers: like putty in your hands

10/16/2013
Turn a growling caller into a purring, pleased customer, with these techniques.

Posting employee pics online: Is a waiver required?

10/16/2013
Q. Do we need a signed waiver before we post pictures of our staff on our website, Facebook page or other Web-based media?  

Not quite ready to fire? Try a last-chance agreement

10/15/2013
Few will argue that serious employee misconduct requires anything but serious consequences. However, if immediate termination isn’t wanted or warranted, use a last-chance agreement.

Democrats, Republicans united on National Work & Family Month!

10/11/2013
Finally, a measure that enjoys bipartisan support on Capitol Hill: a Senate resolution officially designating October as National Work & Family Month.

Workplace lexicon: acc

10/11/2013
According to National Public Radio blogger Elise Hu, an acc in an email is even worse than the dreaded but invisible bcc because it is a “passive-aggressive move that blindsides the original party.”

Does Minnesota’s smoking ban law include employees’ use of ‘e-cigarettes’?

10/10/2013
Q. We have a no-smoking policy that complies with Minnesota’s smoking ban. A number of employees have asked if our policy applies to electronic cigarettes or “e-cigarettes.” We are not sure what to tell them. Must we ban the use of the e-cigarettes in the workplace? Are we allowed to if we want to?

4-point checklist clarifies open enrollment

10/10/2013
With key pieces of health care reform going into effect, employers that offer health benefits have even more to consider when implementing this year’s open enrollment. Make the most of your annual benefits sign-up by following this checklist.

The NLRB invalidates employer’s confidentiality rule

10/10/2013
Employers have long believed that they could restrict access to information about wages and benefits so employees couldn’t discuss pay rates, raises and so on. If that’s the case at your workplace, check with your attorney. The prohibition may run afoul of the NLRA, which covers the right to unionize.

Develop foolproof plan for taking uncertainty out of ambiguous resignations

10/10/2013
Not sure what to do when it seems as if an employee is going to quit, but she doesn’t explicitly say so? Seek clarification. If you get none, tell her you assume her silence is tantamount to a resignation.

Why not click? Maybe this Nigerian email is legit!

10/10/2013
Nearly one in five white-collar employees polled (19%) admit they have opened a suspicious email at work—and then failed to notify IT that they may have compromised computer security systems.