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Policies / Handbooks

How to hold orientation for non-English speaking staff

12/01/2006

A reader of our weekly e-mail newsletter recently posed this question to the other readers: “What’s the best way to include Spanish-speaking employees in orientation sessions with a predominantly English-speaking group?” …

New Oxford tavern owner accused of sexual harassment

12/01/2006

The EEOC last month filed a lawsuit against the owner of the Crazy Horse Steak House & Saloon in New Oxford for sexually harassing female employees …

Make sure your arbitration agreement is valid in Texas

12/01/2006

Arbitration agreements, in which employees give up their rights to go to court and instead submit their cases to arbitration, can be a great way to avoid unpredictable juries, negative publicity and the expense of a full-blown lawsuit. But if the agreement isn’t worded just right, you may end up with more expense and lost time rather than less …

Workplace attire continues to become more casual

12/01/2006

Nearly half of all U.S. employees wear jeans to work or whatever else is comfortable, according to a new “Dress in the Workplace” poll of 2,198 workers by Yahoo! Hot Jobs and Banana Republic …

Should we require harassment claims be in writing?

12/01/2006

Q. Our new plant manager wants me to revise our sexual harassment policy to require that complaints be in writing. He says this will formalize the procedure and help ensure that only valid complaints are filed. I don’t think this is a good idea. Is it?

Docking employee’s pay for missing laptop

12/01/2006

Q. An employee who recently quit hasn’t returned a company-owned laptop computer worth over $1,000. Can we withhold the value of the computer from the employee’s last paycheck?

Maximize commuter perks: Save workers money, stress

11/01/2006

Soaring gas prices earlier this year led many employees to seriously consider bailing out of their long commutes and find jobs closer to home. While gas prices have moderated (at least for now), many employees still face long, expensive, time-wasting trips to work. To ease employees’ pain, employers are increasingly turning to creative commuter benefits …

How to prevent employees from abusing PTO leave

11/01/2006

A reader of our weekly e-mail newsletter, The HR Specialist Weekly, recently posed this question: "We allow employees to take paid time off (PTO) in hourly increments, but they often use their PTO when running late in the morning or for unexpected ‘appointments.’ How can we get a rein on our PTO leave?" …

Workers’ Mental Well-Being Tops N.C. Firm’s Work/Life List

11/01/2006

Happy employees translate into low absenteeism and low turnover, says Lisa Conklin, public relations manager for Replacements, the Greensboro, N.C., china replacement warehouse …

Hiring relatives creates friendly culture at Ohio firm

11/01/2006

Nepotism doesn’t raise eyebrows at medical-billing service provider MBI Solutions. More than a dozen MBI employees have family members on the staff. The Kettering, Ohio-based company actively recruits employees’ relatives to create a family-friendly atmosphere and improve retention …