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HR Management

State to outsource info tech work to private contractors

02/01/2008

Two hundred state workers stand to lose their jobs after Gov. Sonny Perdue decided to move Georgia’s information technology work to the private sector. His plan will consolidate 11 state agencies, comprising about two-thirds of the executive branch’s IT spending, under the Georgia Technology Authority …

Monitoring Internet usage

02/01/2008

Q. Our IT manager wants to install software onto our company computer system that will allow us to monitor Internet and e-mail usage on company equipment. Our employee handbook prohibits the use of company equipment or the Internet to surf inappropriate web sites, but does not specifically warn staff that management may monitor their use. Do we need to amend our computer-use policy before installing the monitoring software? …

6 Best-Practice Tips From America’s Top HR Departments

02/01/2008

Even if your HR department has only two or three employees, it can still incorporate some of the best approaches to HR management used in the country’s top HR departments. “You don’t have to be well-funded to focus on what’s good for your employees or the right thing for your business,” says Charles Tharp, co-director of the HR management department at Rutgers University …

Search and ye shall find: 7 googling tips for HR

02/01/2008

Local salary data? Compliance advice? HR professionals are constantly trawling the web to dredge up answers. To improve your chances of finding exactly what you need, follow these search tips …

Help business travelers prevent lost-Luggage woes

02/01/2008

The free luggage-tagging service at BagsReunited.com lets you print a tag (the size of a business card) from your computer and insert it into a conventional luggage-tag holder …

TWC awards nine Texas universities high-Tech grants

02/01/2008

The Texas Workforce Commission recently awarded nine grants, totaling nearly $2 million, to the Texas Youth in Technology Strategic Workforce Development initiative …

Do you have a ‘No lying’ policy? It could be a legal lifesaver

02/01/2008

If you don’t have one, consider adding a general honesty or misrepresentation clause to your employee handbook. Such a clause can come in handy when you are looking for a solid reason to discharge someone who just isn’t being upfront and honest with the company, but technically may not have violated a specific work rule …

Female police officer says drunken male cops treated better

02/01/2008

Christina Johnson, a police officer for Olmsted Township who was fired for crawling into a stranger’s car while highly intoxicated and then passing out, will have the chance to convince a jury that she suffered discrimination. Johnson was off duty during the episode, but was wearing her uniform sweater …

Wasn’t this covered in the Ten Commandments?

02/01/2008

Two employees of the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office have paid the price for violating a unique policy that forbids workers from committing adultery …

Now is the time to develop a comprehensive whistle-Blower policy

02/01/2008

Although Florida’s state whistle-blower law applies only to state government and state contractors, don’t believe you are above the law just because you are a private employer. Rather than ignore a complaint—and risk expensive litigation—you need to establish policies to investigate whistle-blower complaints …