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Policies / Handbooks

Snapshot: Big business makes progress on LGBT issues

06/12/2018
An overwhelming majority of Fortune 500 corporations prohibit discrimination on the basis of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender status.

Did Starbucks fail at communicating policy?

05/17/2018
It’s likely that the Starbucks incidents reveal some form of discriminatory animus on the part of individual employees. But from a management and HR perspective, there is another layer.

Rule requiring employees to speak only English at work may be race discrimination

05/07/2018
Take note if you have rules against speaking languages other than English at work: That could constitute race discrimination under Section 1981 of the Civil Rights Act of 1866.

Policy alone won’t fend off harassment suit

05/03/2018
You may think having a solid sexual harassment policy is all it takes to thwart a sexual harassment lawsuit. Not if the policy isn’t being followed!

Establish process for verifying employment

04/17/2018
Verification of employment requests are not difficult to process, but you do need a formal system for responding to them.

Feds’ rules for safeguarding sensitive info

04/12/2018
A Trump administration official’s frustration over confidentiality breaches has turned into useful advice that can benefit HR professionals who worry about disclosure of sensitive information.

OK to enforce no-moonlighting policy against employees who take FMLA leave

04/09/2018
Nothing in the FMLA specifically prohibits employees who take FMLA leave from moonlighting for another employer. But as long as employers clearly communicate it, it’s perfectly fine to enforce a no-moonlighting policy against any employee, including those who take FMLA leave.

Document details to show why discipline differed

04/03/2018
If you hand out different discipline for two employees who commit similar violations, make sure you document exactly why. That way, if you are later sued, you can explain the difference.

Courts have little patience for inflexible “a rule is a rule” policies

04/03/2018
Sometimes, you have to take a step back and consider the consequences before enforcing a rule against an employee. Take, for example, a strict call-off rule that allows for no deviation.

How should we handle transgender dress code?

03/22/2018
Q. A new employee refuses to comply with our dress code, which has slightly different requirements for men and women, because the individual is transgender. Though the new employee marked “female” on our employment application, the individual has since told us about identifying as a man. Can we require this employee to follow our dress code for women?