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HR Management

Labor alert! The NLRA can apply to nonunion employers, too

02/16/2010

You’re probably familiar with the legislative fight brewing over the proposed Employee Free Choice Act. That debate has spotlighted a fact many employers don’t realize: Nonunion employers must comply with requirements of the National Labor Relations Act. To help you comply, here are the major traps to watch for.

May we conduct locker searches even if employees use personal locks?

02/12/2010

Q. Lately we have been concerned about workplace theft—both of our property and that of our employees. We would like to search our employees’ lockers, each of which is secured with a worker’s own lock. Is this legal? Do we need the employees’ consent?

Don’t cry! Babies at work easier than you think

02/10/2010

Even as the economy forces some organizations to cut benefits, it’s prompting others to add one: allowing parents to bring their babies to work. In just two years, the number of organizations with a babies-at-work benefit has more than doubled to 130, says Carla Moquin, founder and president of the Parenting in the Workplace Institute. She advises managers to start small and to create a formal policy full of “safety valves.” Here are 10 keys to success:

When EEOC is involved, prepare to give up cash, much more

02/09/2010

The Bahama Breeze restaurant chain has settled racial harassment charges with the EEOC for $1.26 million. According to an EEOC complaint, black employees at the chain’s Beachwood location were regularly subjected to racial epithets, mockery and ongoing harassment.

When picking candidates for promotion, use measurable criteria—and document it

02/09/2010

Employers have plenty of leeway when deciding which employees deserve to be promoted—as long as they document the decision-making process. Chances are a court won’t second-guess their choices. Just ask yourself this basic question: Have I passed over a candidate whom a reasonable person would have selected because his qualifications were superior to the person I picked?

Spring cleaning: Give employee handbook a thorough going-over

02/09/2010

Because employment laws and your business are in a constant state of flux, it’s critical to keep your personnel policies up-to-date. As spring approaches, one item on every HR professional’s spring cleaning list should be a review of the organization’s employee handbook. In light of recent legal changes, be sure your policies include these updates:

Follow 5 steps to make sure new GINA law doesn’t trip you up

02/09/2010

The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 was enacted in response to concerns that insurers and employers could use results of genetic testing to discriminate against applicants and employees. Covered employers should consider updating their employment policies and practices to comply with GINA’s many technical requirements.

‘Anonymous’ harassment: How to respond when harasser is faceless and nameless

02/09/2010

In some cases, employees are harassed via scrawled words on a wall, voice mail messages or some other shadowy act. You may never be able to pinpoint the culprit, but you must still do something. Begin by opening an investigation, just as you would for any other complaint. Then remind all employees about your anti-harassment policies.

Is English-only OK? We can’t understand what Hispanic workers are talking about

02/09/2010

Q. We have a number of Spanish-speaking employees. We can’t tell, but we suspect they sometimes make inappropriate comments in Spanish about our clients and other employees. Can we require these employees to speak only English when at work?

Another mortgage bailout, this time for Florida workers

02/09/2010

The U.S. Department of Labor recently announced it will spend $1.6 million to help retrain 600 mortgage industry workers who lost their jobs at the Taylor, Bean, and Whitaker mortgage company in Northern and Central Florida. The money will provide training assistance to workers so they can qualify for jobs in the health care and IT.