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HR Management

At Akron’s Summa Health, where there’s smoke, there’s no hire

03/09/2010

Akron-based Summa Health Systems has announced it will no longer hire smokers. Applicants who wish to work at one of Summa’s six hospitals must provide a urine specimen to prove they are nicotine-free. Current employees are not affected by the new policy.

Are we allowed to prohibit moonlighting?

03/09/2010

Q. Is there any law against having a policy that prohibits my employees from working a second job?

Employee fired after registering complaint is now suing? You could be personally liable

03/09/2010

Here’s a new worry for Ohio HR pros who play a role in deciding whether to fire employees: You could end up being sued personally if it turns out that the discharge was wrongful under Ohio’s public policy exception to at-will employment. That means your own assets—not just the company’s—are at risk. Here’s how it works:

Trim the fat from your business writing

03/09/2010

In business writing, you don’t receive extra credit for slathering your sentences with fancy phrases, the way you did in college. Do that in a memo or e-mail, and you can expect eyes to glaze over. Here are five “less is more” tips for writing more effectively at work.

Dispense employee medical information only to those who truly need to know

03/05/2010

The ADA requires HR and employers to maintain strict confidentiality on any medical- or disability-related information. That means keeping it in a separate, secure file, away from prying eyes that have no business viewing the information. But confidentiality doesn’t apply just to paper or electronic records. Employers also have to make sure they don’t discuss such information with those who don’t need to know.

Fire away if defiance follows discipline

03/05/2010

Some employees don’t respond well to corrective discipline. They may become angry and combative. You don’t have to put up with that sort of behavior. In fact, you can use that reaction as a valid termination reason.

Follow 4 keys to legally manage employee absenteeism

03/04/2010

The costs of employee absenteeism—reflected in lost production, overtime and temporary replacements for the absent worker—can add up quickly. What’s the best way to combat the problem? With a clear policy, careful documentation, consistent application of the policy and progressive discipline.

Retaliation nation: Reacting to complaint? Zip it!

03/03/2010

Ever since the EEOC began tracking discrimination complaints, race bias has been the most popular claim. Not anymore. Claims of employer retaliation now top the charts—33,613 claims in fiscal 2009. This means managers, supervisors (and you) need to be more careful than ever to avoid lashing out against employees or applicants who file—or simply voice—complaints of discrimination.

Beware ID theft scam: Callers posing as the IRS

03/02/2010

While it’s true the IRS is now conducting its annual phone survey of small-business taxpayers, be alert: The IRS is warning that con artists are posing as IRS agents to extract personal financial data from unwary businesses.

5 common I-9 mistakes

03/02/2010

It is remarkable that a seemingly simple, one-page form—the Form I-9—can cause so many headaches. But who ever said a government form was easy, much less an immigration-related form. Here are the most common mistakes employers make.