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HR Management

Court: Tailor complaint procedure to ‘Average’ worker

01/01/2008

When was the last time you read your company’s harassment reporting procedures? Could all employees in your organization understand how—and with whom—to file a complaint? It’s important to ask these questions in the wake of a new court ruling that should give you incentive to cut the legalese and confusion out of your reporting procedures …

When’s a handbook not a handbook? When everyone ignores it

01/01/2008

No doubt, your organization has an employee handbook. You may even have helped draft it or agonized over the amount of money you paid a law firm to create or review it. But one thing is certain—having a handbook won’t do you any good if no one in the company uses it …

Office love affair plus sales tips lead straight to court

01/01/2008

Jane Roberti worked as a loan officer for Allentown’s Becker Subaru. Her live-in boyfriend, Mark Wynne, also worked there as a salesman. Roberti’s responsibilities included funneling Internet sales leads to the salespeople. When employees began to complain that Roberti routed the best leads to Wynne, management counseled both to keep their personal and professional lives separate …

Is it insubordination to call in sick after being turned down for leave?

01/01/2008

Q. During the busiest period of the year, a veteran employee asked for time off to attend her nephew’s graduation. After being turned down, she called in sick on graduation day. Is this considered insubordination? And how should we handle this situation? …

Grocery clerk stops shoplifter, loses job for breaking rule

01/01/2008

File this one under “no good deed goes unpunished.” Michigan grocery clerk John Schultz says he lost his job after trying to thwart the getaway of an alleged shoplifter. The firing offense? Touching a customer …

Workplace bullying emerges as new employment law issue

01/01/2008

While workplace bullying certainly has existed for as long as mean people have worked alongside others, only recently has it emerged as an issue for the courts to handle. As awareness of “workplace bullying” arises, so does potential litigation and liability for employers …

Protect your work force from drug-Resistant superbugs

01/01/2008

“Medical crisis.” “New staph strain raises red flags.” “Superbug taking great toll.” These headlines, and more like them, shook up the country during the fall—and prompted HR pros to take precautions in their workplaces …

Safety violations cost Cintas $3 million in 3 months

01/01/2008

Cincinnati-based Cintas Corp. was hit with another $196,000 in fines for safety violations at its Mobile, AL, location, bringing its total OSHA fines to more than $3 million in just three months …

EEOC called after MRSA scare costs Miami man his job

01/01/2008

A South Florida man may be the first U.S. employee to lose his job over methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus—a highly contagious and potentially lethal, drug-resistant bacterial infection also known as MRSA …

If new employee clearly isn’t working out, fire and move on

01/01/2008

Sometimes it becomes painfully obvious you’ve made a hiring mistake shortly after the new employee clocks in on day one. If, during initial training or on the first assignment, you know the employee will not meet your legitimate expectations—and you can substantiate your impression—it may be best to admit the mistake and discharge the new employee …