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HR Management

Economy stimulates interest in government employment

07/27/2009

The recession’s battering of the private sector isn’t the only thing driving job applicants to consider government employment, according to a new survey by CarerBuilder.com. Job-seekers also know that government agencies are among the few employers with budgets that might go up.

Update your policies: North Carolina bans texting while driving

07/27/2009

Cell phones, BlackBerries, iPods, iPhones and GPS devices—even laptop computers—all offer important travel information and productive work connectivity for employees on the go. But using those devices while operating a vehicle is also dangerous. That’s why North Carolina recently passed a law, effective Dec. 1, making it unlawful for a person operating a motor vehicle to send text or e-mail messages while the vehicle is in motion.

A matter of policy: Doing 4 things right helps win lawsuits

07/27/2009

It’s a mantra that can’t be repeated too often: Develop a policy, communicate it to your employees, investigate when you learn of possible infractions and, if wrongdoing did occur, punish those who violated the policy. It’s refreshing to report on an employer that did everything right and emerged victorious from court.

Can a former employee demand that we pay her for unused vacation and sick leave?

07/27/2009

Q. A former employee is demanding pay for her unused vacation and sick leave. Must we pay her?

Recession playing havoc with FLSA exemptions

07/24/2009

Are your employees performing the exact same tasks they were three years—or even three months—ago? Probably not. Layoffs have left millions of employees juggling their own tasks as well as those of departed co-workers. One byproduct: When employees’ job duties no longer qualify them as exempt from the FLSA, they can raise the “hourly” flag and sue for unpaid overtime pay.

Tough times = stressed-out staff: 10 tips to ease their pain

07/24/2009

A brutal economy … layoffs … pay cuts. These are trying times to be a U.S. worker, and not all are handling it well. Nearly half of U.S. workers say they feel stressed out, compared with 39% in other countries, according to a Robert Half International survey. Here are 10 ways to deal with your employees’ recession-induced stress:

Summer scheduling: What changes do you make?

07/24/2009

If you notice that “summer stare” on employees’ faces as they gaze longingly out their office windows, it may be time for a morale-boosting seasonal schedule change. Here are some ideas working for the readers of the HR Specialist Forum:

Tap into the power of e-mail to change employees’ health habits

07/24/2009

When employees hunch over keyboards all day, all the motivational posters in all the break rooms of the world won’t improve their health. Solution: Deliver practical, actionable advice directly into employees’ e-mail in-boxes.

Press ‘send’ for liability: The legal risk of misdirected e-mail

07/24/2009

Have you ever felt that punch-to-the-stomach feeling of clicking “Send” and realizing you blasted an e-mail to the wrong person? As the CEO in the following case learned, one misguided e-mail mixed with some poor judgment can stir up a potent legal stew …

New CDC web site helps employers combat obesity

07/24/2009

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) last month unveiled LeanWorks, a web site designed to help U.S. employers address employee obesity and its related costs.