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Policies / Handbooks

Quiet a legal storm: Close during weather emergencies

11/01/2004
The hurricanes that battered Florida and the Gulf states this summer pushed an HR question to the forefront: Can employers require employees to report to work during an ordered evacuation or …

Tell employees to read each form; don’t summarize

11/01/2004
Issue: The danger of telling employees “Don’t bother reading that; it probably doesn’t apply to you.” Risk: Courts may view your action as a cover-up, sparking …

The new OT rules: You’ve got questions; we’ve got answers

11/01/2004
If you’re like most HR professionals, you’ve been scrambling in recent months to pull your organization in line with the Labor Department’s new rules defining …

‘Creative workplace’ defense won’t beat harassment suit

11/01/2004
Issue: A court ruling said sitcom writers have a “creative necessity” to engage in overtly sexual banter.
Risk: While the TV network was allowed to use this defense in a …

Handle sticky-fingered employees with kid gloves

11/01/2004
Issue: HR must walk a legal tightrope when employees are suspected of in-house theft. Risk: A bungled theft investigation increases your organization’s …

Don’t defy government emergency warnings

11/01/2004
During this year’s fierce hurricane season, several Florida businesses courted legal trouble by requiring employees to report to work in the midst of …

Rid absence policy of risky doublespeak

10/01/2004
Re-examine your absence policy, paying special attention to identify clauses that attach varying conditions on whom the policy applies to and when it applies.
Plaintiffs’ attorneys and courts will poke …

‘Use-it-or-lose-it’ vacation policy usually legal, but check state law

10/01/2004
If you have a vague (or nonexistent) vacation policy, you’re simply asking for a lawsuit. That’s why it’s important to make sure your organization clearly spells out whether employees can roll …

Accommodate religious requests; don’t argue ‘sincerity’ of beliefs

10/01/2004
Federal anti-discrimination law says you must offer reasonable accommodations to employees’ “sincerely held religious beliefs or practices,” as long as the accommodation wouldn’t place an undue hardship on your organization. But …

Stop managers from using bullying as ‘motivation’

10/01/2004
Your organization counts on its supervisors to motivate employees. But that doesn’t give supervisors free rein to use whatever tactics necessary. As the following case proves, you have the right, and, …