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HR Management

Crude, foul-mouthed manager can easily spark a lawsuit

02/01/2007

HR professionals beware: Foul-mouthed managers are trouble, and the best policy is zero tolerance …

Super Steel settles bias suit

02/01/2007

Glenville locomotive manufacturer Super Steel Inc. settled a lawsuit by black workers who alleged racial discrimination by employees and supervisors. The lawsuit sought $175 million but the settlement amount was not specified …

Lessons from Wal-Mart’s employment-law missteps

02/01/2007

Wal-Mart bashing may be the new spectator sport in America, but the nation’s largest retailer is slowly learning some important lessons from a series of legal setbacks involving time and attendance records and managers’ misguided efforts at cost control …

Train managers on FMLA or risk paying double damages

02/01/2007

It’s more important than ever to teach supervisors how to listen for leave requests that could fall under the umbrella of a “serious” condition qualifying for FMLA relief. Otherwise, don’t expect to plead ignorance if they make a mistake …

10 ways to cut your organization’s legal bills

02/01/2007
Perhaps the last thing you want to think about is hiring an attorney. But someday you will probably have to work with attorneys on contracts or even — perish the thought — lawsuits aimed at your organization. The good news is you can take some steps to contain the cost of using outside lawyers. Here are the 10 best ways to trim your legal expenses.

Taking on more work/Life duties? Start by collecting data

02/01/2007

As work/life benefits have become mainstream, organizations have shifted their administration from stand-alone work/life departments to their employee benefits specialists. The good news is that the same management skills that contribute to an outstanding comp or benefits program also make for the best work/life programs …

15-min. workout (In work clothes) cuts excuses to skip exercise

02/01/2007

The 280 employees at Boland, Inc., a Rockville, Md., air conditioning company, have run out of excuses to do at least a minimum amount of exercise each day. Reason: Two years ago, the company adopted Rick’s Quick Fit, a 15-minute workout that employees can do in their work clothes …

Prevent bias against men who take FMLA leave

02/01/2007

Would your hiring managers react negatively to male employees or applicants just because they took FMLA leave to care for a newborn or a sick family member? …

Listen for hints about illness … they may be FMLA notice

02/01/2007

The FMLA’s notice provision requires employees, to be eligible for FMLA leave, to let their employers know that they suffer from a serious health condition. Merely telling a supervisor “I’m sick” doesn’t cross to the threshold of a legitimate FMLA notice. But it’s important for supervisors to know that employees, on the other hand, don’t need to say something as explicit as “I need FMLA leave because I have X illness” …

‘He said, she said’: Train staff in conflict resolution

02/01/2007

What’s a manager to do when faced with conflicting accounts of an argument between employees? An important part of that answer is to resolve it quickly, before the dispute spreads like a cancer through your organization …