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HR Management

DOCC not responsible for employees’ racist remarks

06/10/2008
A court has ruled that the Hennepin County Department of Community Corrections (DOCC) did more than enough to address two employees’ complaints about civil rights violations …

Wellness Rx: Help Employees Spend Less on Prescriptions

06/10/2008
Prescription drug costs account for a huge chunk of employer-provided health care insurance premiums—and those costs are rising fast. Don’t run the risk that your workers won’t fill needed prescriptions because they can’t afford to. They’ll stay healthier if you teach them how to hunt for bargains on prescribed drugs.

He was expecting Paris in springtime, perhaps?

06/10/2008
Flight attendant Eder Rojas, of Woodbury, was arrested in Minneapolis in May for allegedly setting fire to a Compass Airlines plane. Investigators said Rojas told them he was upset about having to work the apparently undesirable Minneapolis-to-Regina, Saskatchewan, route …

Little things can add up to discrimination and harassment

06/10/2008
Do your managers and supervisors understand that ostracizing an employee can backfire? Do they make diligent efforts to train everyone equally and include everyone in work-related social events? If not, it’s time to remind them …

Burger King caught in a whopper

06/09/2008
After years of pressure from advocacy groups, several large fast-food companies recently agreed to pay higher wages to Florida’s tomato pickers. These days, Burger King is probably wishing it had agreed, too. In a case of corporate espionage gone very bad, the Miami-based Burger King Corp. now looks not just heartless, but clueless …

Use performance evaluations to pinpoint problems—And follow up

06/09/2008
There’s no point in completing performance evaluations and suggesting areas in which employees could improve if no one follows up. The best approach is to schedule an interim review for an employee who needs improvement. Then tell him what he needs to do before the next review …

Business groups battle gun law

06/09/2008
The Florida Retail Federation and the state Chamber of Commerce have filed a joint lawsuit against the Florida Attorney General’s Office, challenging the constitutionality of the state’s recently enacted guns-at-work law …

The AG debacle and the e-Mail connection

06/06/2008
Facing threats of impeachment for turning the Office of Attorney General into a “raunchy frat pad,” Marc Dann initially held onto his post. After firing two staffers for sexual harassment, and accepting the resignation of a third for failing to properly supervise them, Dann hoped to put the scandal behind him …

Backup care: It’s not just for kids anymore

06/06/2008

Unscheduled absences can throw production into a tailspin. Often, those absences occur when an employee’s child care arrangements fall through. But increasingly, workers also must stay home to care for spouses or parents who need help after surgery or because a regular caregiver is unavailable …

How not to manage a hostile work environment

06/06/2008
When employees complain about being harassed while at work, employers often wonder how to stop the offending behavior. One thing is certain—simply ordering employees to stop doing what they allegedly are doing isn’t enough …