Policies / Handbooks

‘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.

Is this asking for trouble? Our sick policy requires a doctor’s note containing a diagnosis

10/18/2012

Q. Our policy states employees must provide a doctor’s note if they take sick leave of three or more days. Are we violating any laws by demanding the doctor’s note, which includes a diagnosis?

Beat retaliation suit with good HR records

10/15/2012

Employees who suspect they are facing discipline sometimes think they can stop the process by complaining about some form of alleged discrimination. At the very least, they reason, they can claim they suffered retaliation for reporting discrimination. Smart employers keep careful records showing the internal timeline for all employment decisions.

Employers set few limits on off-duty smartphone usage

10/12/2012

Only 21% of employers set formal policies that limit employees’ use of cellphones and tablets during nonworking hours, and 26% have informal policies limiting their use, says a new SHRM survey.