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HR Management

Can we require medical tests or treatment?

03/01/2007

Q. I’m confused about when we can require physical exams or treatment. We now make employees undergo a fitness-for-duty exam when we think there is a physical or psychological reason that impairs the employee’s ability to perform the job. We also use last-chance agreements requiring medical treatment for an employee to earn reinstatement after a discharge, such as for alcohol or drug abuse. Are we courting trouble? —D.J., Michigan

Giving references: Limiting info is still safest policy

03/01/2007

Q. I’m new to the HR world. When we receive reference checks on ex-employees, what information can we (or should we) give out without a signed release? —L.M., Pasadena, Calif.

Put a stop to unauthorized overtime: 4 strategies

03/01/2007

As overtime lawsuits continue to surge, organizations often try to defend themselves by pointing to their policy that says employees should have received management approval for overtime. But a written policy isn’t enough, as employers are learning the hard way …

How to respond when employees show mental instability

03/01/2007

A star employee tells you his new depression medicine makes it impossible for him to get to work on time. Must you alter his schedule? …

Reacting to harassment complaint: First-Day Action Is Vital

03/01/2007

If you don’t have an action plan in place for responding to sexual harassment complaints, develop one now. Don’t wait until the phone rings or an e-mail arrives detailing sexual wrongdoing. By then, it may be too late …

The gloves are off: Haitians win lawsuit against landscaping firm

03/01/2007

Dias Landscapes Corporation of Boynton Beach will pay $150,000 to settle an EEOC lawsuit over firing five Haitian employees and replacing them with Hispanic workers …

Understanding religious accommodations in Georgia workplaces

03/01/2007

Georgia mirrors America’s growing diversity in many ways. Today, mosques occupy old churches; many workers wear burqas and yarmulkes; and some employees request “prayer breaks.” Religious diversity is a reason for celebration, but it also presents challenges in the workplace …

More discrimination suits filed against Savannah police chief

03/01/2007

When it rains, it pours. Recently, 11 Los Angeles police officers filed discrimination and harassment suits against Savannah Police Chief Michael Berkow …

Chief under restraining order for harassing firefighters

03/01/2007

Loganville, Ga., has found a unique way to deal with an allegedly roguish, abrasive manager …

Banning religious jokes: Seems extreme, but it could have saved Haddonfield in court

03/01/2007

The New Jersey Law Against Discrimination (LAD) protects employees against having to work in an environment hostile to their religious beliefs or background. That means if your supervisors tolerate jokes, ribbing or other distasteful references to religious practices or stereotypes, you’re risking a lawsuit and all the expense that entails …