HR Management

Big spike in I-9 audits: Are your records in order?

02/22/2013

The “bold new audit initiative” launched by ICE has yielded a dramatic increase in employer audits, fines and arrests. Employers would be wise to make sure their I-9 forms are in compliance before the proverbial knock on the door.

We’re starting a wellness program: Any caveats?

02/20/2013

Q. In an effort to encourage our employees to make healthy lifestyle choices, we plan to offer an employee wellness program starting this summer. Is there anything we need to be careful about?

Romance policies that work–even with ‘irresistible’ employees

02/20/2013

Workplace romance has long been the bane of the HR profession. A December 2012 Iowa Supreme Court decision in Nelson v. Knight has further roiled the workplace romance waters by holding that an employer could terminate an employee for being “irresistible.”

Avoid OSHA: Post injury/illness summary until April 30

02/11/2013

Starting Feb. 1 each year, many U.S. employers are required to post a summary of the number of job-related injuries and illnesses that occurred in the workplace the previous year. The posting must typically stay up until April 30.

Just 3 days of harassment can indeed create a hostile work environment

02/08/2013

Usually, courts considering whether an employee worked in a sexually hostile environment will look at a period of weeks, months or years to assess whether the alleged harassment was “severe and pervasive” enough to become truly hostile. But sometimes just a few days will do the trick.

Employee Twitter accounts: Who really owns the followers?

02/07/2013

With people generating more than 340 million tweets daily, Twitter has become a social media phenomenon … and an employment liability risk. One important issue: Who owns an employee’s Twitter handle? And if your employees post on their work-related Twitter accounts, can they “take” the followers when they leave?

Bank of America cutting back flex, work-at-home positions

02/01/2013

Charlotte-based Bank of America has started curtailing its popular work-from-home program called “My Work”. Employee usage has risen steadily over the years, but now Bank of America is cutting back as part of a larger cost-cutting move called Project New BAC.

The HR I.Q. Test: February ’13

02/01/2013

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

Warn managers: You can be personally liable for leave mistakes

01/26/2013

If you’re looking for incentives to get managers and supervisors to pay attention during FMLA training sessions, look no further. Simply point out that they can be held personally liable if they deny FMLA benefits to which an employee is entitled.

Training, strong policies key to keeping workplace harassment-free

01/25/2013

No doubt your company has a sexual harassment policy in place. However, it may have been drafted long ago and may have been long ignored by supervisors and subordinates alike. If you suspect this is the case, it’s time to dust off the document, review it and start making sure all your supervisors and managers take it seriously.