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HR Management

You can ban employee smoking, but can you ban smokers?

04/01/2007

Employers are always looking for ways to cut health care costs … and smoking and overweight employees may seem like ripe targets for change …

Swift response is key to derailing harassment claim

04/01/2007

When a co-worker launches a harassment campaign, you must act fast or risk a hostile-environment lawsuit. That means all your managers must know the drill to follow the moment they get wind of harassment …

How to Set Reasonable Call-In Rules for Absences

04/01/2007

For many employers, absenteeism is a constant problem. You know you must give employees some slack, especially for family and medical emergencies and to accommodate disabilities that sometimes flare up. But, to make sure the work gets done, you need to know who’s going to show up and who isn’t …

Female farm workers settle landmark sex harassment case

04/01/2007

Gargiulo Inc., one of Florida’s largest fruit and vegetable wholesalers, will pay $215,000 to settle sexual harassment lawsuits on behalf of female Haitian workers at its tomato packinghouse in Immokalee …

Should you pay employees to change unhealthy behaviors?

04/01/2007

Cash is king when it comes to wellness incentives. Studies show that the almighty dollar is the best motivator for employee participation in wellness activities, followed closely by reductions in health insurance premiums …

How to encourage enrollment in your HSA program

04/01/2007

Wal-Mart doubled its annual health savings account (HSA) contribution for employees who enroll in high-deductible health plans for 2007. The move might be one for other organizations to consider as they try to enroll employees into HSAs to achieve better health cost savings—for both employer and employee …

Total-Comp Statements: More Important Than Ever

04/01/2007

Regularly remind employees of the value of your benefits package by distributing total-compensation statements every six months. Organizations that communicate such information can boost loyalty and retention, even when their benefits aren’t the very best …

Train managers on FMLA or risk double damages

04/01/2007

Make it a point to train supervisors on how to manage employees’ leaves that could be covered under the FMLA. Otherwise, don’t expect to plead ignorance if they make a mistake. A court could zap you with double damages under the FMLA’s liquidated-damages rule …

Goodyear to pay $925,000 to settle gender bias suit

04/01/2007

Akron-based Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. will pay $925,000 to a class of more than 800 women whom it turned down for tire-making jobs in its Danville, Va., plant in 1998 and 1999 …

‘Anti-Mom’ comments can trigger messy discrimination lawsuits

04/01/2007

It’s not only illegal to discriminate against females in the work force, it’s also illegal to show bias against certain subsets of women …