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Policies / Handbooks

Can you require employees to speak English around customers?

12/01/2005

A narrowly tailored English-only policy that is designed to serve legitimate business needs is not discriminatory, says the EEOC. To be valid, the policy should spell out when English is required and let employees converse in any other language at all other times …

Keeping confidential info secret: Lessons from the Wal-Mart leak

12/01/2005

Wal-Mart execs were wearing egg on their faces last month, and possibly facing legal action, after news media published an internal memo in which a senior VP suggested "clever" ways to cut benefit costs …

Set clear rules on employee credit card use

12/01/2005

Q. I work for a nonprofit agency, and we plan to start using an agency credit card. But we also need a policy that covers who can use the card and when, plus some other things I haven’t thought of yet. What should the policy include? —M.M., Pennsylvania

Cell-Phone Policies: Be Safe, Not Sorry

12/01/2005

Q. We’re considering giving cell phones to our field employees, rather than desk phones. What kind of policies should we have in place for personal cell calls on those phones? —J.B., Florida

Hiring relatives is legal, but keep them separated

12/01/2005

Q. Are there any legal restrictions on whether we can interview and hire a relative of one of our current employees? —J.D., North Carolina

Holiday bonuses are out; performance pay is in

12/01/2005
Holiday bonuses are becoming less of a holiday tradition, as 59 percent of employers won’t award them this year, says a new Hewitt Associates survey. “Employers recognize that the value in …

Encourage use of generic drugs by waiving co-pay

12/01/2005
To persuade employees to switch from expensive brand-name prescription drugs to generics, some employers are eliminating co-payments for generic drugs. Others are waiving the first two or three months of generic …

Learn to spot staff plotting to become competitors

11/01/2005
You may already require key employees to sign noncompete agreements and/or no-moonlighting policies. But even the best of those “paper handcuffs” can’t bring your business back if a defecting employee is determined to compete against you.

Big changes proposed for ADA accessibility rules

11/01/2005
You may need to make new accommodations for disabled customers and employees if proposed regulations win approval. The Access Board, an independent agency …

Do you need a blog policy? Ask yourself 3 questions

11/01/2005

Employment policies often must adapt to changes in culture and technology, and the explosion of blogs is one such example. Disgruntled employees often use their blogs to attacks employers, spread gossip about co-workers or even publish suggestive pictures of themselves. Ask yourself the following questions to see if you need a blog policy …