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HR Management

Tale of two cases: How to avoid costly FMLA and ADA mistakes

09/03/2008
Two recent cases exemplify how easy it is for an unaware and unprepared employer to run afoul of employment laws. In one, an employer’s handbook promised more benefits than the law required the company to provide. In another, the employer transferred a disabled employee apparently just to ease a supervisor’s discomfort with dealing with a disabled staff member …

Madison Square Garden suit hinges on alleged background check bias

09/03/2008

Do criminal background checks lead to bias? The EEOC will have to weigh that question when it investigates discrimination charges filed against Madison Square Garden by Charlene Clarke. Clarke, a black woman from the Bronx, accepted a food worker position at The Garden in September 2007. One month later, the arena withdrew its offer after Clarke’s background check revealed a misdemeanor assault charge …

8 strategies: Make flex plans work for you

09/02/2008
Your organization wouldn’t offer flexible work arrangements such as flextime and compressed workweeks if management didn’t believe the benefits outweighed the costs. Yet surveys show that few organizations have formal and consistent policies in place to manage their flex programs.

Porn on PCs: How far must you go to block it?

09/02/2008
Perhaps because controlling Internet access to pornographic images isn’t technically difficult, and because word tends to get around pretty quickly if a co-worker is showing porn to co-workers, courts now are clamping down more on employers that don’t do enough to make sure the workplace is not a sexual cesspool …

Tell drivers: No passengers allowed on trips that cross state lines

09/02/2008
Does your company employ drivers who cross state lines? If so, make sure they understand they cannot take passengers with them. Here’s why: In the event of an accident, the rider may sue, alleging that since the company allowed her to ride along, the company is responsible for any injuries caused by the driver’s negligence …

How to comply with Colorado’s 3 newest workplace laws

09/02/2008
The Colorado Legislature passed several laws during the most recent legislative session that will directly affect Colorado employers, and more changes may be on the way. HR professionals need to update workplace policies and procedures to comply with these new worker rights and employer obligations …

What to do when an employee threatens violence

09/02/2008
Q. I work in the HR area at my company and just learned that an employee who is experiencing some personal problems is now having performance problems at work. I also learned the employee has made threats about hurting his boss and a certain co-worker. What should I do? …

5 criteria your recruiting web pages must meet

08/28/2008
Your next great new hire is probably looking online for a job right now. There’s no substitute for an effective career page that potential applicants can find through your organization’s public website.

New interview question: ‘What’s your favorite color?’

08/28/2008
What do the colors people choose say about their suitability for a certain career? CareerBuilder just unveiled a “Color Career Counselor,” an online color-based personality test that looks at the relationship between color choices and career compatibility …

Proving the ROI of wellness programs just got easier

08/28/2008

Every employer seems to be jumping on the wellness bandwagon in an effort to curb health care costs. But it’s always been hard for HR to prove its wellness investment is worth it. Reason: the inability to nail down a return on investment (ROI) on wellness programs. Now, a host of new approaches and tools have come to the rescue …