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Policies / Handbooks

How to write a data-collection policy

09/23/2024
We already know we participate in a surveillance economy. It may be worse than you think. Payroll collects a lot of data from employees and is being asked to do a lot more with it. Maybe it’s time for a data-collection policy.

Protect DEI initiatives from employee tattling

09/20/2024
You may believe that your diversity, equity and inclusion practices comply with state and federal law and remain committed to building a more representative and therefore productive workforce. But you also know that the last 18 months have seen an increase in lawsuits challenging DEI programs as illegal discrimination.

How many more chances after last-chance agreement?

09/12/2024
In Moore v. Coca-Cola Bottling Co., the appeals court held that an employee’s last-chance agreement, signed after the employee tested positive for marijuana, did not bar his subsequent discrimination lawsuit when terminated after yet another positive test.

OSHA heat-safety rule published, comments due Dec. 30

09/12/2024
The nation’s first-ever heat health-and-safety rule was published Aug. 30 in the Federal Register, which sets the clock ticking on implementation sometime in 2025.

Rules mean nothing without enforcement

08/22/2024
Rules that aren’t enforced may get you in bigger legal trouble than none at all because a jury can point to your rules as evidence you knew your legal obligations but chose to ignore them.

AI ethics: Use our sample policy

08/22/2024
Artificial intelligence in the workplace is here to stay. Without some ethical guideposts on its use, however, you may have just let a monster into your workplace. The EEOC and the Department of Labor have already dealt with some of the issues as legal compliance matters. But there’s more, because you can be legally compliant but still use AI in an unethical way.

SHRM announces shift to “I&D” and faces community backlash

08/07/2024
In a press release, SHRM declared it would adopt the acronym “I&D” (inclusion and diversity) instead of “IE&D” (inclusion, equity and diversity—also known as DE&I or DEI), effectively removing the explicit mention of equity from its primary framework. The decision has angered many HR professionals.

FMLA, ADA and attendance: Consider health problems before firing for failing to call off

07/29/2024
Ordinarily, employers can require employees to notify their boss if they anticipate having to miss work. But there’s an exception for those times when the employee simply can’t make that call because of their disability or serious health condition. Always double-check and consider the circumstances before making a final discipline or termination decision based on an employee’s failure to call.

DEI under fire: Employers find legal ways to diversify

07/29/2024
A year after Students for Fair Admissions, which decided that affirmative action in college admissions violated anti-discrimination laws, some employers are finding novel ways to diversify their workforces without resorting to specific hiring and promotion goals. Here are some promising approaches.

Are RTO mandates just layoffs in disguise?

07/29/2024
More than a third of managers and senior leaders believe their organizations laid off workers because return-to-office mandates failed to make more employees quit, according to a new survey by Bamboo HR. They’re probably right.