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HR Management

OK to refuse to pay unauthorized overtime?

07/25/2008
Q. We have a company policy forbidding unauthorized overtime in a workweek. May I refuse to pay overtime to an employee who works overtime without authorization? …

Legally speaking, sheriff and deputies aren’t county employees

07/25/2008
Gary Edwards, Deputy Deborah Nelson and Deputy Anthony Smith arrived on the scene to find Billy Ray Cook crawling on his stomach in the street. Upon spotting the officers, Cook began yelling, “Please don’t let them shoot me.” Cook strenuously resisted being cuffed and shackled, so the officers shocked him with their Tasers. Unfortunately, this—combined with a massive quantity of cocaine in Cook’s system—killed him …

You could be personally liable for injuries under N.C. workers’ comp law

07/25/2008
On-the-job injuries generally are covered by the North Carolina Workers’ Compensation Act and the required workers’ compensation insurance. That means employers are not liable for negligence, and that employees receive benefits under the act whether or not their employers were negligent and whether or not the employees were contributorily negligent. But in certain cases the employer and its managers—as well as co-workers—can be liable for certain workplace injuries …

The 5 rules for documenting HR decision-making

07/24/2008

The best way to prevent lawsuits is to carefully document every employment decision. HR professionals and supervisors should be able to show exactly when a decision was made, who made it and what the basis for the decision was …

Workplace bullying by managers: Unpleasant, but is it illegal?

07/24/2008
According a recent Zogby International survey, 37% of U.S. workers report that they’ve been bullied at work. Not surprisingly, they say, the overwhelming majority (72%) of bullies are bosses. Workplace bullying is harassment that’s not necessarily based on an employee’s protected characteristic, such as gender or race. But, unlike harassment based on a protected class, bullying may not be illegal …

Employee handbooks: Are they mandatory?

07/24/2008
Q. We have never had an employee handbook. Do we need one? If so, how do we start? …

Employers pumping gas perks: 8 high-Octane tactics

07/24/2008
In a recent survey, nearly a third of HR professionals said they know at least one employee who quit in the past year because the high price of gas made the commute too expensive. Rather than watch those employees jump ship for jobs closer to home, some employers are actively addressing the driving dilemma …

I-9 enforcement focuses on criminal arrests, smaller firms

07/22/2008
In the past few years, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has focused its enforcement efforts mainly at large-scale immigration raids at big companies. Now that ICE has more trained officers and better coordination with other federal and state agencies, it’s targeting more small businesses, too …

Alcoa must defend its religious accommodation policies

07/22/2008
Timothy Walker began working at Alcoa’s Lafayette plant in 1995. He was also a pastor at his church. In May 1998, Walker was appointed head pastor, and he asked Alcoa if he could be excused from working Sunday shifts at the plant …

Can we legally ban all employee smoking at work?

07/22/2008
Q. We don’t allow smoking during the workday, even during lunch breaks. An employee complained to HR that this is discriminatory and mentioned that she may seek legal action. Is our company policy illegal? …