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HR Management

Office communication: Align practices with employee perceptions

10/02/2009

Sometimes it seems like supervisors and employees work in entirely different places. For years, researchers have known that bosses and line workers have widely varying views about things like priorities, performance ratings, communication and benefits. Here are eight areas for which recent studies have revealed major disconnects between what employees want and what their bosses think they want:

U.S. Department of Labor approves Illinois’ OSHA plan

10/02/2009

Illinois has received approval from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to administer its own occupational safety and health plan for state and local government employees. The federal OSHA law doesn’t cover state and local public employees.

Attorney-client privilege: It does apply when e-mailing from work

10/01/2009

The rise of electronic communication has forced employers and courts to take a fresh look at many issues that used to be considered routine. The age-old concept of attorney-client privilege is the latest one to whipsaw through the courts.

Updated web site helps bulletproof your accommodation practices

09/30/2009

The ADA requires employers to enter into an interactive process with disabled employees to find accommodations that allow them to perform the essential functions of their jobs. Recently, the federal government updated its Job Accommodation Network (JAN) web site, which employers can use to to find specific accommodation information.

10 minutes well-spent: Audit your employee bulletin board

09/29/2009

Have you audited the employee bulletin board in your break room or next to your time clock recently? Have you ever done so? A little time spent seeing what’s there—and what’s missing—will keep you in compliance with North Carolina and federal laws.

We’re small; do we need an employee handbook?

09/29/2009

Q. We are a small company and do not have an employee handbook. Are we required to have one?

Can handbooks create employment contracts?

09/29/2009

Q. I have heard that an employee handbook can create a contract between the employer and the employee. Is this true? If so, can this be prevented?

One way to stop retaliation cases: Evenly enforce sick-leave documentation rules

09/28/2009

You shouldn’t have to worry about losing a retaliation lawsuit if you consistently follow your internal rules for seeking medical information from employees who ask for sick leave. That’s true even if the employee has already complained about discrimination, either internally or to the EEOC.

No raise = no review; a losing strategy

09/25/2009

“We’ve put a freeze on pay raises, so why do we need to keep doing performance reviews?” The recession has led many employers to ask themselves that question. But dropping reviews can be a morale buster and liability magnet.

Dogged by sexual harassment suit, PetSmart settles

09/23/2009

A manager for PetSmart’s Pottstown and Wyomissing, Pa., stores got his employer in the doghouse after he sexually harassed female employees. It seems the manager was something of a beast. When female employees complained, they got the corporate equivalent of “Sit! Stay!” PetSmart failed to address the women’s concerns.