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HR Management

The pain truth: Prescription drug abuse on the rise at work

12/17/2010

Employee drug abuse continues to be the trend that just won’t go away. And it’s not just illegal drugs causing problems these days. Quest Diagnostics estimates that the use of prescription painkillers by American workers and job applicants has increased by 40% since 2005. More than 70% of prescription drug abusers hold jobs, upping the risk of work-related injuries.

New IT system helps Barilla cut down turnover

12/16/2010
Pasta maker Barilla America scored a big “zero” with employees last year: zero work stoppages due to faulty processes, plus overall employee turnover decreased to 8.1%. Reason: A $50 million overhaul of the organization’s 18-year-old IT systems and work processes gave employees the tools they needed to increase speed and improve efficiency.

Is a policy still a policy if it’s not in writing?

12/15/2010

Will a court acknowledge a company “policy” that doesn’t exist on paper? One court recently did—even though the policy wasn’t written anywhere—because the policy was being followed by all managers. Still, when in doubt, it’s best to write it out.

At hiring meetings, think like a consultant

12/15/2010

When new positions open up, HR professionals often meet with hiring managers to gather information about the job and develop hiring strategies. The problem: Too many HR pros take the wrong approach—a passive “order taking” approach—to these intake meetings. Instead, it’s wiser—for the organization’s success and the HR professional’s reputation—for HR to take a consultative approach to these meetings.

Catch 22: The records-retention steps you must always be ready to take

12/14/2010

Employers and HR professionals hear it all the time: You must be prepared to preserve relevant documents and produce them if you are sued. You can take some preparatory steps to ensure that you can comply with inevitable litigation holds and are proficiently primed to assist your attorneys should litigation occur. This list of 22 to-do’s can guide your document and data preservation and retention procedures:

7 tips for reducing your workers’ comp costs

12/14/2010
You can significantly reduce the cost of your organization’s workers’ compensation premiums by following a program of accident prevention, better claims management and prevention of fraud and abuse. Seven steps you should take:

Highland County settles whistle-blower retaliation suit

12/13/2010
A Highland County government employee who was fired after complaining about unsafe working conditions and wage-and-hour violations is $18,000 richer, following a settlement with the county.

Florida’s business climate a relatively sunny 14th best

12/13/2010
Florida has the nation’s 14th best business climate, according to Site Selection magazine. Florida finished sixth in the executive survey of overall business climate and 11th in 2010 new plant rankings. The state finished 31st in overall competitiveness, and 40th in new plants per million residents.

11 for ’11: Big trends shaping comp & benefits

12/13/2010
Pay-for-performance and higher employee health care contributions look like they’ll remain fixtures of the post-recession comp and benefits landscape. Here are 11 other trends that could take a firm hold in 2011:

What are the rules on personnel files? An employee keeps asking for access

12/09/2010
Q. We have an employee who frequently asks to review his personnel file. How often are we required to allow an employee to review his personnel file? How often do we have to make sure it is up-to-date?