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HR Management

Base Taking-Work-Home policy on security and job needs

10/01/2004

Q. Is there any legal precedent or other justification for not allowing public employees to create work-related documents on their home computers? —J.R., Alabama

Free workplace-violence training

10/01/2004
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has released a 27-minute training video that offers practical ways for businesses to identify …

Benchmark your benefits; costs take biggest jump since ’90

10/01/2004
Issue: It’s more important than ever to know if you’re budgeting too much, too little or the right amount for employee benefits. Risk: By ignoring industry …

Set tight time limits for keeping job applications

10/01/2004

Q. Our employment application states, “This application will remain active for six months.” Is this time frame advisable? How long should applications remain active? And how long should I keep completed applications? —K.S., Minnesota

Starting to hire again? Heed new-hire reporting rules

10/01/2004
Issue: Federal and state laws require you to file certain data about new employees. Risk: Many employers overlook those requirements, risking per-employee …

Are you doing enough to stop employee identity theft?

10/01/2004
Your employee records are a gold mine for identity thieves. How should you secure them? A new Society for Human Resource Management survey says 95 percent …

Rid absence policy of risky doublespeak

10/01/2004
Re-examine your absence policy, paying special attention to identify clauses that attach varying conditions on whom the policy applies to and when it applies.
Plaintiffs’ attorneys and courts will poke …

‘Use-it-or-lose-it’ vacation policy usually legal, but check state law

10/01/2004
If you have a vague (or nonexistent) vacation policy, you’re simply asking for a lawsuit. That’s why it’s important to make sure your organization clearly spells out whether employees can roll …

Accommodate religious requests; don’t argue ‘sincerity’ of beliefs

10/01/2004
Federal anti-discrimination law says you must offer reasonable accommodations to employees’ “sincerely held religious beliefs or practices,” as long as the accommodation wouldn’t place an undue hardship on your organization. But …

Stop managers from using bullying as ‘motivation’

10/01/2004
Your organization counts on its supervisors to motivate employees. But that doesn’t give supervisors free rein to use whatever tactics necessary. As the following case proves, you have the right, and, …