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HR Management

Cop is fired over sex charges, but he’ll still get pension

09/24/2008

The Altoona City Council fired Police Officer Herrick Johnson on Sept. 10 for allegedly having sex with a 16-year-old girl he met online. Johnson, 49, met the girl through a web site that promoted law enforcement careers …

Is it illegal to read others’ work e-mail?

09/24/2008

Q. I have reason to believe that someone in my department is reading my e-mail without my consent. Isn’t that illegal? …

Trouble in the air: The legal ailments of sick-building syndrome

09/24/2008

Although it may seem like the far-fetched excuse of an employee hoping to take a few days off from work, a condition known as “sick building syndrome” (SBS) is real. Some employees suffering from SBS have brought claims under the ADA. Others have sought recovery under state workers’ compensation laws …

Can we require male employees to keep their hair cut short?

09/24/2008

Q. May we require male employees’ hair be a certain length, or is that discrimination? Also, may we prohibit beards? …

State probes purchase of phony diplomas and degrees

09/24/2008

Attorney General Tom Corbett is investigating more than 135 Pennsylvania residents who allegedly bought diplomas from a business in Spokane, Wash., that sold high school diplomas and college degrees under the name Saint Regis University …

How should we respond to employee’s fear she’s being stalked?

09/24/2008

Q. One of our female employees says her ex-boyfriend is stalking her. She hasn’t been able to get a restraining order against him. We’re worried that he may show up and harm her or other workers. Can we fire or suspend her? …

Court Says: It’s Up to You to Stay Current on Industry-Specific Regs

09/23/2008

Federal, state and local governments issues thousands of pages of new regulations every week. Some relate directly to HR, but many of the most critical changes may not be on your professional-development radar screen. They’re the regs that affect the narrow slice of industry your company operates in. Guess what. You need to know them too.

Football coach kills self as police probe messages to student

09/23/2008

Marty Deputy, an English and Bible literature teacher and football coach at Pike Central High School in Petersburg, committed suicide on Sept. 2, hours before his former assistant coach surrendered to police over charges of inappropriate conduct …

Retaliation claim doesn’t win if it’s filed in wrong court

09/23/2008

An Elkhart employer is off the hook for retaliatory discharge for now—but maybe not for long. Lisa Lubarsky was reportedly a good employee of INOVA Federal Credit Union in Elkhart. But then she sued in a South Bend federal court for retaliatory discharge under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 …

Indiana employers overlooked health incentive tax break

09/23/2008

Only two companies in the state took advantage of the health insurance tax credit introduced under the Indiana Check-Up Plan last year. The plan granted credits of $50 per employee to businesses that provided employee health care coverage for their workers under a Section 125 cafeteria plan …