Policies / Handbooks

Is it illegal to read others’ work e-mail?

09/24/2008

Q. I have reason to believe that someone in my department is reading my e-mail without my consent. Isn’t that illegal? …

Can we require male employees to keep their hair cut short?

09/24/2008

Q. May we require male employees’ hair be a certain length, or is that discrimination? Also, may we prohibit beards? …

Court Says: It’s Up to You to Stay Current on Industry-Specific Regs

09/23/2008

Federal, state and local governments issues thousands of pages of new regulations every week. Some relate directly to HR, but many of the most critical changes may not be on your professional-development radar screen. They’re the regs that affect the narrow slice of industry your company operates in. Guess what. You need to know them too.

Retaliation claim doesn’t win if it’s filed in wrong court

09/23/2008

An Elkhart employer is off the hook for retaliatory discharge for now—but maybe not for long. Lisa Lubarsky was reportedly a good employee of INOVA Federal Credit Union in Elkhart. But then she sued in a South Bend federal court for retaliatory discharge under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 …

No translation needed for arbitration agreements to be valid

09/22/2008

You might worry that people who don’t speak English well won’t be bound by contracts such as arbitration agreements. If applicants or employees can’t read an agreement, it would seem logical that they couldn’t agree to the terms. You have little to fear …

Video résumés failing to catch on: Ahead of their time, or too hot to handle?

09/18/2008

Despite much discussion about their pros, cons and legal implications, video résumés aren’t yet catching fire with employers or employees. CareerBuilder recently discontinued its video résumé service. Recruiters have shown little demand for them …

Can we talk? A guide to political expression in the workplace

09/18/2008

The presidential campaign has everyone talking politics, and inevitably a lot of that talking takes place at work. As the campaign season moves toward the general election, many employers are re-examining their workplace policies concerning political activities and speech. Evidence suggests employers must educate employees concerning workplace political speech …

Sample Policy: Overtime

09/16/2008

Login Email Address Password I forgot my password To continue reading this page, become an HR Specialist Premium Plus member today! Your subscription includes: Ask the Attorney: Answers to your HR legal questions Compliance Guidance: Access to 7,000 HR news articles, updated daily, sorted by state State-by-State: Summaries of HR laws in all 50 states […]

Bigfoot in his mouth: Officer loses job over fraudulent story

09/15/2008

Officer Matt Whitton of the Clayton County Police Department lost more than his credibility when his amazing “Bigfoot” discovery turned out to be a soggy polyester ape costume. The moment the news reached Police Chief Jeffery Turner, he fired Whitton …

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