Policies / Handbooks

Stronger role for HR urged in Penn State abuse report

08/07/2012

Last month’s official report detailing the institutional breakdown at Penn State regarding the Jerry Sandusky case noted that the university’s HR department was also left in the dark about the child-abuse allegations. Why wasn’t HR notified?

Use new employee FMLA guide as chance to review your policies

08/03/2012

Publication of the new DOL guide to employees’ FMLA rights signals an opportunity for employers to take a fresh look at this sometimes confusing law. It’s a golden opportunity to remind employees how their company leave policies mesh with the FMLA.

How should we craft a policy allowing us to refuse to consider unsolicited résumés?

07/27/2012

Q. Our company doesn’t want to consider applicants who send in unsolicited résumés. We are trying to come up with a legally sound definition for “applicant” so we can write an official policy. Any suggestions?

Too much time online can be misconduct

07/18/2012

If you limit personal use of electronics and fire an employee for violating that rule, he can’t get unemployment benefits. Excess online time is misconduct under those circumstances.

When can we insist on a substance-abuse test?

07/13/2012

Q. A couple of weeks ago, an employee came into work smelling like alcohol. His supervisor later reported that day that the employee “acted drunk” in a staff meeting. Yesterday, one of the same employee’s co-workers indicated that the employee came back from lunch “smelling like marijuana.” Can these reports justify requiring the employee to undergo a drug or alcohol test?

Employees bringing their smartphones to work? 6 ways to manage the legal risks

07/09/2012

Employees’ use of personal smartphones (and tablets such as iPads) raises risks not present when employees use company-issued devices. Advice: Take these six steps before allowing employees to use their personal e-tools for work.

A ‘sledgehammer’ to social media policies

06/22/2012

Even if you included a new social media policy in your employee handbook recently, it’s time to review it again. The NLRB issued a report recently that called into question the legality of some of the wording employers commonly use in their social media policies.

How far must we go to accommodate employees’ unusual religious beliefs?

06/20/2012

Q. We have an employee who claims to be a witch. She contends that witchcraft is her religion and has asked for certain holidays off. Are we required to accommodate this employee’s request?

7 ways to limit your social media liability

06/14/2012

Online social networking sites provide a variety of benefits to organizations. They can help you collect industry-based knowledge, reach new customers, build your brand and publicize your company’s name and reputation. But those benefits come with their fair share of legal risks. You need a comprehensive social media policy to guide employees on your expectations about their online behavior.

When employees are bilingual, it’s OK to require use of English in the workplace

05/31/2012

Employers can typically require employees to speak English when interacting with customers and clients, as long as the employer enforces the rule across the board. What you can’t do: Allow some employees to use one foreign language but punish others for using a third language.