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HR Management

It’s time to review and revise your employee handbook

11/01/2010

Make this your New Year’s resolution: Go through your employee handbook to make sure all the information is accurate and up-to-date, reflects how your organization really does business and fully complies with the law. It’s important to regularly review and revise employee handbooks because having an out-of-date handbook may be more dangerous than not having one at all.

Rejected Sikh seeks damages

10/29/2010
Tri-County Lexus of Totowa faces religious discrimination charges after it refused to hire a Sikh applicant because he refused to shave his beard.

As the EEOC steps up ADA enforcement, it’s time to review policies

10/28/2010

The EEOC projects the number of private-sector charges to exceed 100,000 by the end of fiscal year 2010. The increase is due in part to the additional statutory authority it gained with the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act of 2008 (ADAAA). Given this trend, employers should review their ADA and medical policies to ensure they are in compliance with the ADAAA.

Philly firm bans Muslim scarf, earns religious bias lawsuit

10/28/2010
Imperial Security, a Philadelphia-area security firm that provides guards for the Pennsylvania Convention Center and other locations in the city, faces a religious discrimination lawsuit after it refused to allow a Muslim woman to wear a khimar, a religious head scarf, on the job.

Promoting staff into management? Train on anti-retaliation laws

10/28/2010
Sometimes, a new supervisor takes the opportunity to settle old scores with former co-workers. And that can create liability for the employer. So before the promotion kicks in, teach your newly minted managers that federal laws prohibit supervisors from retaliating against workers for everything from taking FMLA leave to filing a workers’ comp claim.

4 steps for implementing a variable pay program

10/26/2010
Making variable pay work requires lots of interaction throughout the organization before, during and after implementation. As the business unit most likely in charge of implementation, it’s up to HR to make sure that happens. Here’s how to do it.

7 tips for reducing your workers’ comp costs

10/26/2010

Employers can significantly reduce the cost of their workers’ compensation premiums by following a program of accident prevention, better claims management and prevention of fraud and abuse. These seven tips point the way.

Abercrombie case highlights risk of electronic I-9 systems

10/25/2010
Clothing retailer Abercrombie & Fitch paid a $1.05 million fine to the U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement last month after ICE cited numerous technology-related problems with the company’s electronic I-9 system.

Comp and benefits to the fore in retaining great staff

10/25/2010
Of all of HR’s priorities, keeping good employees is on top. You can be a hero in the post-recession years ahead. Act like one: Be brave enough to communicate the truth to both employees and to company execs. Assert your key role by trying the following:

Can we talk? How to tackle tough disciplinary conversations

10/19/2010

Managers often have to confront “challenging” employees who, while typically good at their jobs, too often display unprofessional or downright obnoxious behavior. The best way to tackle such problems is to meet with employees right when you spot the problem behavior. Here’s how to do so in a way that protects the organization from employee claims that they weren’t treated fairly.