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HR Management

Twin Davie firms share 17 OSHA citations

06/11/2012
OSHA has cited Merlin Industries Inc. and Thermal Concepts Inc.—two Davie businesses owned by the same family and sharing the same address—for 17 safety violations, worth $59,100 in fines.

Didn’t know employee wanted training? Be sure to extend invitation next time

06/11/2012
Failing to offer some employees the opportunity to participate in training can mean a possible lawsuit. But that’s only true if the employee who missed out on the training opportunity let it be known that he was interested.

New scrutiny may change the way employers access social media

06/08/2012
Before you plunge into cyberspace in search of information on applicants (or current employees), understand the legal implications. Employers’ efforts to access employees’ and applicants’ private social media websites have re­­cently been subject to increased scrutiny by New York and federal legislators.

Make up training deficits with mentoring

06/08/2012
A recent HR Specialist online poll found that 42% of training budgets that were slashed in the recession haven’t yet rebounded. Mentoring can help close the training gap, and improve recruitment, retention and career development—and the bottom line.

Feds consider revisions to I-9 verification form

06/07/2012
That infamous I-9 employment verification form you must complete for each new employee may be going through some changes soon. The USCIS recently published a draft of revisions to the I-9 form and requested public comment on the proposed changes.

Amputation leads to OSHA sanctions in Botkins

06/04/2012
OSHA has cited Boomerang Rubber Inc. with 31 health and safety violations after a worker’s arm was amputated while he was performing maintenance on a rubber processing machine at a truck mat and mud flap manufacturing plant in Botkins.

The HR I.Q. Test: June ’12

06/01/2012
Test your knowledge of recent trends in employment law, comp & benefits and other HR issues with our monthly mini-quiz …

When employees are bilingual, it’s OK to require use of English in the workplace

05/31/2012

Employers can typically require em­­ployees to speak English when interacting with customers and clients, as long as the employer enforces the rule across the board. What you can’t do: Allow some employees to use one foreign language but punish others for using a third language.

Congress considers ‘Facebook password’ bill

05/31/2012
Media reports speculating that a handful of employers asked employees for their social-media passwords has led Congress to consider legislation that would make it illegal for employers to request employees’ (or applicants’) passwords.

Encouraging healthy staff: How far can we go?

05/30/2012
Q. Some of our employees are quite heavy. We’re concerned they may become a liability at insurance renewal time because we suspect they have health problems (they also smoke and eat junk food). Can we ban smoking near our premises and make the workplace a snack-free zone?