HR Management

Too much time online can be misconduct

07/18/2012

If you limit personal use of electronics and fire an employee for violating that rule, he can’t get unemployment benefits. Excess online time is misconduct under those circumstances.

Office politics? You bet … and you better play to win!

07/18/2012

Office politics doesn’t have to be manipulative or sleazy. In fact, it’s one of the most direct, smart and savvy ways to make your mark with those that count. Here are three rules to win the game of office politics.

Setting & tracking goals: The 5 best free online tools

07/17/2012

If the number of goal-tracking tools online is any indication, the Internet wants you to stick to your goals. Here are five of the best free goal-setting tools available today.

When can we insist on a substance-abuse test?

07/13/2012

Q. A couple of weeks ago, an employee came into work smelling like alcohol. His supervisor later reported that day that the employee “acted drunk” in a staff meeting. Yesterday, one of the same employee’s co-workers indicated that the employee came back from lunch “smelling like marijuana.” Can these reports justify requiring the employee to undergo a drug or alcohol test?

Republic Steel reaches safety accord with OSHA

07/12/2012

Canton-based Republic Steel has agreed to settle outstanding training and safety issues discovered in the aftermath of a worker’s fall in 2010.

Say what?! OSHA fines Kamps for hearing hazards

07/12/2012

Presumably, Kamps Pallets heard from OSHA via nonverbal means. The company’s plant in Versailles faces fines for 10 OSHA violations after inspectors discovered conditions so noisy that workers’ hearing was endangered.

After Supreme Court’s ACA ruling, 5 strategic steps to take

07/11/2012

Now that the Supreme Court has upheld the Affordable Care Act, it’s time to weigh the strategic impact on your organization. Take these five steps to clarify decisions you need to make between now and 2014.

Does an employee have a right to ‘correct’ a discipline report that’s going into her file?

07/10/2012

Q. We recently disciplined an employee for repeated insubordination because of her attitude toward her supervisor. We wrote her up and placed a warning report in her file. Now she is protesting the accuracy of the report and demanding the chance to “correct” it. Can we force her to sign our disciplinary report as-is?

Employees bringing their smartphones to work? 6 ways to manage the legal risks

07/09/2012

Employees’ use of personal smartphones (and tablets such as iPads) raises risks not present when employees use company-issued devices. Advice: Take these six steps before allowing employees to use their personal e-tools for work.

Buffalo cheese maker melts under OSHA heat

07/05/2012

Buffalo-area cheese manufacturer Sorrento Lactalis faces $241,000 in fines following an OSHA inspection that revealed numerous hazards at its plant.