Policies / Handbooks

9 Ohio firms ace awards honoring gay-friendly practices

12/12/2012

Each year the Human Rights Campaign rates Fortune 500 companies on how well they treat lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees. Nine Ohio firms couldn’t have scored any better, earning perfect 100s from the gay-rights advocacy organization.

Handbooks: 5 simple steps for preserving at-will status

12/07/2012

The easiest way to make sure employees understand that they are employed on an at-will basis is to place disclaimers throughout your employee handbook. Five key elements will help those disclaimers stand up in court if an employee ever mounts a legal challenge to at-will employment.

New DOL toolkit offers tips on workplace flex

12/07/2012

The U.S. Department of Labor last month launched an online Workplace Flexibility Toolkit, which gives employers advice on workplace flexibility policies and practices.

‘You’ll always have a job here’: How to respond?

12/04/2012

Q. When we were disciplining an employee, the president of our small company told him that he “will always have a job here.” He’s an at-will employee. Are we now obligated to keep him on if he improves?

English-only rule: Is it legal?

12/03/2012

Q. Is it legal for our company to require employees to speak only English at work?

Supreme Court: Vance case revisits supervisor liability under Title VII

11/26/2012

The Supreme Court tackles a contentious issue: When it comes to harassment and discrimination, just what does “supervisor” mean? Regardless of how the Court rules, employers must ensure that their policies and practices are consistent with Title VII.

What does California’s new law mean for our dress and grooming policy?

11/16/2012

Q. We would like to enforce a strict dress and grooming code in our company. Are we required to exempt from our policy employees whose faiths call for them to dress or groom in a specific way?

Surveillance video law: How do we comply?

11/08/2012

Q. We have surveillance cameras in several locations in our workplace that record activity, but no sound. The images can be viewed over the Internet by supervisors and HR personnel who have the password to the site. What should our privacy and electronic communications policy say about access to the camera feed?

Lawsuit-proof your promotion process: Post all openings, require formal application

11/05/2012

If an employee sues and claims he didn’t earn a promotion because of some sort of discrimination, you have one bulletproof defense: proving that you posted the job but the employee never applied. How do you prove that?

Cyber Monday is looming: Recirculate your online policy

10/26/2012

Cyber Monday, the online version of deal-hunting Black Friday, is Nov. 26. Last holiday season, 50% of people said they spent time shopping online at work. Clarify your expectations and company policy with employees before the holidays begin.