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Policies / Handbooks

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?

What Pennsylvania employers need to know about medical marijuana

02/22/2012
Sixteen states and the District of Columbia have legalized some form of medical marijuana use, even though the federal government continues to classify marijuana as an illegal drug. Pennsylvania hasn’t yet enacted a medical marijuana law, but that could change thanks to legislation that has been introduced in the General Assembly.

Firing OK for breaking no-dating policy?

02/22/2012
Q. Our company policy prohibits managers from dating subordinates. I have just learned that a manager has violated this rule. May we terminate him?

Employee resigns in the middle of litigation? Courts unlikely to order you to change policies

02/22/2012
When courts find that an employee has been discriminated against, they often order the employer to end the practice or policy that was the basis for the lawsuit. But when the employee voluntarily quits before the case is over, that remedy isn’t available.

Do you have an official policy that regulates romantic relationships between co-workers?

02/21/2012
In the workplace, love may be in the air, but most employers turn a blind eye.

More than just paper: Sexual harassment policy won’t work without supervisor training

02/15/2012
Employers can create all the anti-harassment policies they want and still end up liable for sexual har­­ass­­ment. The key to a successful policy is action. The policy must work. And the policy won’t work if supervisors ignore it or aren’t trained how to implement it.