Policies / Handbooks

OSHA alert: Don’t set policies that stifle injury reporting

05/11/2012

OSHA last month issued a memo alerting its field officers to watch out for employer policies and incentives that could discourage workers from reporting injuries.

Law firm axes employees for wearing orange

05/09/2012

The Fort Lauderdale law firm of Elizabeth R. Wellborn, P.A. apparently has several openings. Tip for job-seekers: Don’t wear orange to the interview.

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

05/03/2012

Employers can require employees to speak English at work, as long as they enforce the rule across the board. What they can’t do: Allow some employees to use one foreign language but punish others for using a third language.

Good documentation is the key to legally disciplining employees

05/01/2012

How you document a discipline issue can cause problems if an employee files a lawsuit. To protect your organization, follow these guidelines:

Not a matter of style: Factor safety, liability into dress code

04/30/2012

A recent HR Specialist poll found that casual attire is the norm in 88% of our readers’ workplaces. But a culture of dressing down doesn’t mean organizations don’t need a dress code. What people wear to work is more than a matter of personal preference. One area of primary concern is safety.

How should we manage unused vacation?

04/19/2012

Q. Several of our employees have compiled a lot of vacation time. Is there any way we can manage how much vacation leave time our employees accrue?

The 5 elements your vacation leave policy must include

04/16/2012

Summer vacation season will soon be upon us, and that means it’s time to dust off your company’s time-off policy. A sound vacation policy addresses the following five elements:

Safety trumps bias claim in case of ‘no skirts’ rule

04/16/2012

One of the few times you can overrule an employee’s religious accommodation requests is when safety is involved, as the following case shows.

11 guidelines for preventing and addressing workplace violence

04/03/2012

Nearly 2 million U.S. workers are victims of workplace violence each year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Last year, 506 employees were slain at work.Don’t let your organization add to those sobering statistics. To reduce the chance of workplace violence—or your liability if it does happen—follow these 11 guidelines:

Vacation leave: A 5-part plan & sample policies

04/01/2012

You wouldn’t dream of having informal payroll policies, right? Yet too many employers treat vacation time—a form of compensation—as a casual entitlement. Getting too informal can cost you. Here are the five key elements a sound vacation policy addresses—plus two sample vacation policies you can adapt for your organization.