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HR Management

New guns-at-Work law called ‘Boneheaded’

05/12/2008
State Rep. Mary Brandenburg took aim at Florida’s new guns-at-work law. “It’s beyond belief to think it’s essential to have guns at work,” she said after the bill passed the Legislature on a largely party-line vote, 72-42. “This was the most boneheaded bill we’ll pass this session.” …

Enraged condo owner brandishes gun, terrifies employees

05/12/2008
A 57-year-old resident of a Pompano Beach condominium, enraged by a bill for more than $4,000 in condominium owners’ association fees, barged into the complex’s clubhouse on April 25 and demanded to speak with an employee. Patrick Dellisanti ranted about the bill, then pulled out a handgun …

‘No comment’ is best response when reporters call about a firing

05/09/2008
Discharging an employee is stressful to everyone concerned. It can be doubly stressful if the employee held a publicly visible position. Local reporters are likely to call asking for information about why the organization fired the employee. Handling those calls poorly can spell legal trouble …

MIOSHA appeal process: What to expect after receiving a citation

05/09/2008
Two Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Growth agencies can issue safety citations under Michigan’s Occupational Safety and Health Act: the General Industry Division and the Construction Safety Division. Employers wishing to appeal a MIOSHA citation must follow a two-step appeal procedure …

MIOSHA can’t cite company again pending appeal of original citation

05/09/2008
Q. Our company has been cited by the Department of Labor for what it considers to be a violation of a MIOSHA safety standard. We are appealing the citation, which we understand could take months or even a year or more to be resolved. Our citation contains an abatement date, but we don’t think we have to make the changes suggested because we still believe there was no violation of the standard. Can MIOSHA cite us again for the same condition because we have not abated the contested safety violation? …

Borders considers sale

05/09/2008
Ann Arbor-based Borders, the nation’s second-largest bookseller, has announced that it may put itself up for sale. Online retailers, including  Amazon.com, and discount retail chains such as Wal-Mart have brought unmanageable pressure on the book chain …

Successful Negotiating: 7 Steps to Getting What You Want – Audio Conference

05/07/2008

This national audio seminar lays out a step-by-step guide for everyone—even the nervous, pushy, impulsive or tongue-tied—who wants to negotiate a better deal in the office, in the boardroom … and in life!

Absent without leave: Can we fire for violating vacation policy?

05/06/2008
Q. We recently could not reach an employee who works off-site. Then we learned he was responding to customer messages by saying he was on vacation. After we learned this, he contacted his supervisor and said he had been on vacation and would be on vacation the rest of the week. His supervisor reports that he had not requested vacation time beforehand—and our policy states that vacation time must be preapproved. This employee had been a marginal performer, and now his supervisor wants to fire him. Can we fire him for this? …

Kids will be kids: Inappropriate workplace behavior and teenage workers

05/06/2008

Q. Some of our employees are teenagers who work part time while they go to school. Often, this is their first job. Some of them don’t seem to understand proper behavior in the work environment. They usually are OK with customers, but when they are interacting with each other, they give each other a hard time. Verbal put-downs and even physical acts are common. Does this create any potential problems? …

Election ’08: What you need to know about what workers think

05/06/2008
Election year politics has a strange way of focusing employers and employees on the larger issues—such as jobs, wages and the economy. HR pros should pay attention to election year buzz. Knowing what’s on employees’ minds as they go to the polls can help savvy employers get a glimpse of the future workplace.