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HR Management

HR certification rules to get tougher, starting in 2011

02/26/2009

Crack open those books. Starting in 2011, the HR Certification Institute will tighten the eligibility requirements to earn the most popular HR certifications: the PHR, SPHR and GPHR.

Don’t count on missed EEOC filing to end case

02/24/2009

Timing is everything in discrimination suits. Ever since the U.S. Supreme Court decided in 2008 that an employee could effectively file a discrimination complaint simply by completing an EEOC intake document, employers have learned they can’t rely on the date stamped on the actual EEOC complaint form as the official deadline date.

New economic stimulus law includes HR-related provisions

02/24/2009

The economic recovery and stimulus bill President Obama signed Feb. 17 features several provisions affecting HR. Most require federal agencies to write new administrative rules, so it’s difficult to predict now exactly how they will work on an everyday basis. Here are some key provisions in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Lost in MySpace: Know the law before searching web for applicant info

02/24/2009

Many of the millions who post information online never think a potential employer might read what they post. Meanwhile, employers believe that if the information is available online for the viewing, they have an obligation to look. However, several laws may restrict how you conduct the search or how you use the information.

Warn everyone on staff: E-mail isn’t ‘private’

02/24/2009

Are you looking for a way to discourage employees from using the company e-mail system to send personal messages and curtail circulation of potentially harassing or discriminatory communication? Then tell them about the case involving Henry T. Nicholas III, the embattled co-founder of Broadcom.

What should we do about a disgruntled worker who disparages us on the web?

02/24/2009

Q. One of my employees has created his own web site. Recently, he has been posting negative comments about our company. Specifically, he has accused the company of failing to provide adequate benefits and paying below-market wages. Can we fire the worker for this conduct?

Personal information on work computers: No expectation of privacy

02/24/2009

A New Jersey appeals court has held for the first time that an employee has no reasonable expectation that personal information stored on work computers is private—even if the employee has created a separate password to protect the information. Employers have the right to search work computers.

Require everyone to report harassment—you’ll be justified firing those who don’t

02/24/2009

If you’re serious about wiping out sexual and other forms of harassment in your workplace, consider adopting a zero-tolerance policy for failing to report suspected or known harassment. By readily disciplining those who ignore that rule, you can create a new climate in which employees really believe you take harassment seriously.

No home specimen collection for Newark P.D. drug tests

02/24/2009

When Newark police department representatives went to an unidentified officer’s home while he was on sick leave to collect a urine sample for drug testing, it upset the police union.

Prepare for the EFCA—even if unions never worried you before

02/24/2009

By now, most employers have heard of the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), the proposed legislation that would make it dramatically easier for unions to organize workers and obtain favorable terms in the initial collective-bargaining agreement. Is it time to panic? Of course not, but it is time to take action.