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Policies / Handbooks

Great! You have an anti-harassment policy; now make sure all your employees can use it

01/11/2010

Your organization probably has policies prohibiting sexual harassment, and you probably offer training for supervisors and employees alike on how the policy works. But that simply isn’t enough. What really matters is what happens once an employee picks up the phone or stops by HR to discuss potential sexual harassment.

Flying pocketknife cuts into heart of employer’s policy

01/07/2010

Employers may suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune from time to time. But when knives fly at work, supervisors better know the relevant company policies. Consider the case of an employee at the North Carolina Department of Transportation who was apparently the workplace prankster.

Are employee texts private? Supreme Court to decide

01/07/2010

The U.S. Supreme Court agreed late last year to rule for the first time on whether employees have a right to privacy when sending text messages on cell phones and electronic devices supplied by their employers. The case involves several California police officers who were disciplined for sexually explicit texts.

Keep your workplace drug-free without creating liability

01/07/2010

When drug abuse isn’t an obvious problem in the workplace, it’s easy for employers to develop a cavalier attitude about it. That’s not smart. It’s in your best interest to detect employee drug abuse early and root it out immediately. But that’s easier said than done. Keeping your workplace drug-free means knowing how to spot the problem and effectively respond to it—without violating employees’ legal rights and creating legal liability.

Take a proactive approach to prevent workplace violence

01/07/2010

Recent workplace shootings in Orlando, Fla., and Fort Hood serve as powerful reminders that employers must heed signs that an employee could act out and harm co-workers or supervisors. There were 768 violence-related deaths in the workplace in 2008. Despite those disturbing numbers, many employers stick their heads in the sand. They put their assets and employees at risk by gambling that “it couldn’t happen here.”

Fashion tip: Don’t overdo grooming and dress standards

01/05/2010

If you have a strict grooming policy or are considering implementing one, make sure you first understand what you can and cannot require employees to wear or what grooming standards you can legally enforce. Employees can and do sue when their employers try to impose rules that interfere with religious beliefs, reflect sexual stereotypes or are simply demeaning.

Do you need a policy barring workers from forwarding e-mails to personal accounts?

01/04/2010

By now, you should have an electronic communications policy and know to block computer access to newly terminated employees. But it’s also wise to prohibit current employees from forwarding e-mails from the company computer to their personal e-mail accounts outside the company.

9th Circuit chief judge escapes porn-at-work punishment

01/04/2010

The Judicial Council of the 3rd Circuit recently released its opinion dismissing a porn-related misconduct case against 9th Circuit Court of Appeals Chief Judge Alex Kozinski. The complaint, brought by a court administrator, accused Kozinski and two other judges of disabling the court’s Internet filters to download illegal pornography and pirated music without being detected.

Sample Policy: Terminations

01/01/2010
The following sample policies were excerpted from The Book of Company Policies, published by HR Specialist. Edit for your organization’s purposes. _____________________ Sample Policy 1: “There are two ways to terminate employment: voluntary and involuntary. Voluntary terminations include resignations, retirement, failure to return from leave, failure to report to work for three consecutive days without […]

When firing employees, take reasonable security measures

12/24/2009

Some employees get mad when they learn they’re being terminated. Some may even try to abscond with valuable company property or records as a way to retaliate for losing their jobs. That’s why employers should take reasonable measures to protect records and property—even if that means escorting the fired employee out of the building and preventing access to work spaces and equipment.