Policies / Handbooks

Having anti-harassment policy isn’t enough: You had better be prepared to enforce it, too

03/22/2012

It’s not enough to have an anti-harassment and discrimination policy in your manual. It’s not even enough to train everyone regularly on what the policy requires. What really counts is enforcing the policy when complaints come in. If you don’t, the penalty may be punitive damages.

How to make ‘no unauthorized OT’ policy work

03/22/2012

The first step to controlling overtime costs is to establish a sound policy forbidding unauthorized extra work for hourly employees. But a “no unauthorized overtime” policy is just the beginning. It’s what you do after implementing the policy that counts.

Co-workers marry: Can you tell one to resign?

03/21/2012

It’s perfectly legitimate to try to prevent allegations of sexual harassment and favoritism by instituting a policy banning romantic relationships between co-workers—or between certain types of co-workers, like supervisors and subordinates. But what if two employees get married?

Beware overly broad drug policies, which could violate ADA rules about revealing a disability

03/14/2012

The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals has handed a significant victory to the EEOC, allowing the agency to continue to supervise settled cases. The impact: Employers should expect continued EEOC charges even after the ink is dry on their settlements.

Set policy to regulate employee use and abuse of blogs

03/09/2012

A quick scan of the world’s 156 million blogs reveals plenty of employees discussing their work. Sometimes that spells legal trouble for employers. By implementing an effective company blogging policy, you may avoid many of the pitfalls.

Borderline harassment worry? Take it seriously before it escalates into a lawsuit

03/08/2012

There’s a fine line between horsing around and true sexual harassment. But if you ignore that line—or guess wrong about whether a supervisor has crossed the line—you may find yourself at the mercy of a jury.

How often do you review and revise job descriptions?

03/06/2012

The need to hire someone new is the major impetus to revise job descriptions.

Manage work, play with formal vacation policy

03/05/2012

Many workers routinely skip vacations, handing back to employers more than $21 billion in unused vacation time each year. In fact, vacation is good for business—it lowers employee stress and prevents burnout. Consider your vacation policy an important element of your organization’s health.

When co-workers marry, you can require one of them to resign

03/05/2012

It’s perfectly legitimate to try to prevent sexual harassment and allegations of favoritism by instituting a policy that bans romantic relationships between co-workers. You can even require one spouse to resign when co-workers marry.

Can we ban drinking and driving company car?

02/22/2012

Q. We recently learned that an employee who drives a company vehicle is stopping on the way home for a few drinks. Should we notify all employees that if they use drugs or alcohol while driving a company vehicle, they will be fired?