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HR Management

4 mistakes team leaders should avoid

06/04/2013
Team leaders can get ensnared in their own good intentions. The result can cause an admirable effort to backfire. Here are four mistakes team leaders need to avoid.

Worker death means prison for former company president

06/03/2013
A former Port Arthur chemical company president has pleaded guilty to occupational safety crimes in federal court. The former head of Port Arthur Chemical and Environmental Services admitted to violating OSHA by allowing a driver to haul a load so toxic it killed him.

The HR I.Q. Test: June ’13

06/03/2013
Test your knowledge of recent trends in employment law, comp & benefits and other HR issues with our monthly mini-quiz …

What can we tell co-workers about a new employee’s sex change and transgender status?

05/30/2013
Q. We recently hired an experienced salesperson. Dur­­ing her orientation, she told HR that she recently underwent a sex change procedure and that she is transgender. A few days later, another employee went to HR and explained that he had known the salesperson in a previous job before her sex change. This employee is clearly uncomfortable and asked for advice on what he can say to the new employee and others on the team about their former working relationship?

7 questions to ask before buying HR software

05/29/2013
A simple Google search for “HR software” will return a mind-numbing 700,000 results. To select the right vendor and software for your organization, arm yourself with these seven questions to narrow your search:

Diverse firms outperform S&P 500 for 2nd straight year

05/29/2013
The stock of organizations whose business practices, leadership and employee population reflect the diversity of their communities tend to outperform the S&P 500, according to DiversityInc.com.

Get ahead of legislation: 8 steps to building a strong anti-bullying policy

05/28/2013
When we think of bullying, we usually think of kids at school, not adults in the workplace. But, according to a 2010 survey, 35% of American workers have been bullied at work. Unfortunately for those employees, there are currently no federal or state laws that specifically prohibit bullying in the workplace. That may soon change.

Remember: Contract workers are eligible to sue you, too

05/28/2013
Here’s a reminder that you need to document disciplinary and workplace problems for temporary contract employees, too. It doesn’t matter that they know they only have a job for a set period of time.

Handbook calls for civility? Enforce the policy

05/28/2013
Many employers have revised their handbooks to include language requiring all employees to treat one another—as well as customers—with respect. But that doesn’t mean that em­­ployees who feel “disrespected” have grounds for a lawsuit.

Demotion or termination? How to make the call

05/28/2013
If you’re faced with an employee who isn’t a good fit with his or her current job, is termination the answer or is demotion a better alternative? The answer is, of course, it depends.