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Workplace Smoking: State Laws

05/12/2011
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention recently hailed the “half-way point in a remarkable journey” as more than 25 states now have laws prohibiting smoking in workplaces, restaurants and bars. Here is the list, plus a link to more state workplace smoking laws …

Set salaries with help from most reputable web sites

05/12/2011
As hiring picks up due to the firming economy, organizations want to offer competitive salaries that aren’t inordinately lower or higher than those available from competitors. Here are the most reputable web sites that track pay for hundreds of professions and specialties.

Wind farm accident fans huge OSHA fines

05/11/2011
After an electrical worker suffered severe burns while working on an Illinois wind turbine, OSHA cited the Minnesota company that owns the facility for six willful safety violations.

Bulletproof HR decision-making by following your own rules–and logging your compliance

05/11/2011

You must have clear rules in place for making personnel decisions—and you must follow those rules consistently. With good documentation, you then are able to show exactly how and when you made your decision. That can sometimes make the difference between a dismissed lawsuit and litigation.

Lower employee stress to raise performance

05/11/2011

Studies show that workplace stress has increased over the past several years and that productivity can drop if employers don’t address the problem. Here are just some of the issues likely stressing your staff—along with suggestions on how HR can help.

Take a Video Tour of TheHRSpecialist.com

05/10/2011
When you need fast, accurate answers to your HR questions, there’s only one place on the Web to go … Our Premium Plus Online service gives you complete and total access to the HR tools and resources on theHRSpecialist.com. Premium Plus will help you meet any HR challenge — and seize every opportunity to protect […]

Management 101: Never hand off work without a checklist

05/10/2011

More than ever, work is collaborative. And where do things go wrong when it comes to collaborative work? At the handoff. It’s usually not because someone is incompetent or lazy; it’s due to poor communication. The bottom line: We all need checklists. Use or adapt this “handoff checklist” when delivering a project assignment, suggests the Harvard Business Review blog.

Monitoring the virtual water cooler: Employees on Facebook and more

05/10/2011

It’s a sure thing: Your employees are using social media such as Facebook and Twitter. That means you need to make conscious decisions about how to address social media issues with your employees. Proactively develop a policy so you don’t get stuck doing damage control—perhaps becoming the latest talk heard ’round the virtual water cooler.

Drinking at work: Don’t raise a glass to new trend

05/10/2011
A recent BusinessWeek story pours out several examples of companies embracing the idea of drinking at work. While occasional celebrations are fine, offering an unlimited liquid buffet is simply asking for employment law trouble.

Where there’s smoke … can you fire (or refuse to hire)?

05/09/2011
Many employers are deciding not to hire smokers, screen new hires for nicotine as a condition for employment, impose higher health-benefit premiums for smokers and try to help smokers quit. While employers are free to ban smoking in their workplaces, taking action based on what employees do on their own time outside of work is much more controversial and raises a host of legal issues.