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HR Management

Stereotype about motherhood, by itself, can count as bias

07/01/2004
Remind managers never to base employment decisions on how they believe employees would act based on their gender, race, religion or disability. Make sure managers focus solely on the performance itself, …

Surprise! Off-duty horseplay can qualify as ‘work time’

07/01/2004
Issue: Your broad liability for workers’ comp injuries. Risk: If supervisors exert control over employees outside the workplace, your organization could be liable for resulting injuries. Action: Alert supervisors …

What’s the cost of a chair? A lot less than a lawsuit

07/01/2004
Issue: Minor squabbles between employees and supervisors escalating into illegal “discipline.” Risk: If left unchecked, they can escalate, resulting in discrimination or retaliation claims. Action: Use the following case …

Continued employment may be enough to make noncompetes legal

06/01/2004
If you ask employees to sign an agreement not to compete with your organization for a certain length of time after they leave, the agreement isn’t binding unless you offer the …

Four-Year degree won’t automatically earn exemption

06/01/2004

Q. Regarding the “learned professional” exemption, is it safe to say that a person with a four-year degree would be considered in that category, but a person with an associate’s or two-year degree would not? —Marilyn, Pennsylvania

New exemption definitions aren’t retroactive

06/01/2004

Q. If, according to the revised Labor Department regulations, we’ve been improperly classifying certain employees, would we need to go back and reimburse them? At that time, we thought they were properly classified. —Becky, Texas

To keep noncompetes legal, include fair restrictions

06/01/2004
Issue: Noncompete agreements are more easily signed than enforced. Risk: One sure way to crush your noncompete’s legality is to include overly restrictive time and geographical limits. Action: Make …

Federal contractors: Post ‘Beck’ notice in workplace

06/01/2004
The Labor Department issued final rules last month requiring federal contractors to post notices that inform employees of certain union rights under the Supreme Court’s Communi-cation Workers v. Beck case. Essen-tially, …

Camera phones at work: Shoot down this latest legal threat

06/01/2004
Camera phones now make up more than 4 percent of all worldwide cell phone sales. By 2007, more than half of all cell phones will be equipped with cameras, and cell …

Don’t accept 401(k) fees; renegotiate annually

06/01/2004
Issue: Competition remains tight among 401(k) providers, federal scrutiny is rising, and the stock market is trending up. Benefit: You’ll enjoy improved negotiating clout …