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Policies / Handbooks

FMLA now covers care for partner’s, other relative’s children

06/29/2010
New U.S. Department of Labor rules say employees who care for a domestic partner’s child—or whose partner gives birth or adopts a child—are now eligible to take FMLA leave to care for those children. Also covered: Extended-family members who care for kids. Learn the details of this major FMLA expansion.

Set up standard process for responding to accommodations requests–and use it every time

06/24/2010
One of the quickest roads to the courthouse is to ignore or brush off a disabled employee’s request for accommodations. At least investigate the possibilities before denying a request.

Review e-communications policies in wake of Supreme Court texting decision

06/22/2010
The Supreme Court ruled last week that a police department’s search of an officer’s personal text messages sent via a department-issued pager didn’t violate his constitutional rights. But the court punted on the question of how much privacy employees can expect when using employer-provided gear. The split decision means your policies are more important than ever.

Help create a more transparent workplace

06/22/2010
When times get tough, tough organizations get transparent. The more connected employees are with the financial big picture, the better they can generate revenue-boosting ideas. Is your C-suite boss seeking new ways to engage front-line employees by keeping them informed? Here’s how you can support his efforts.

Establish an employee policy on responding to shoplifters–and be consistent in enforcement

06/22/2010
Two employees of a Sprint store chased down and subdued a shoplifter even though they were on break at the time. Heroic? Yes. But also a violation of Sprint company policy, and both men were fired. Employers are within their rights to set such policies, but make sure you enforce such policies consistently to avoid discrimination claims.

Can we apply a use-it-or-lose-it clause to our company’s vacation policy?

06/18/2010
Q. Our company’s employee handbook states that workers receive two weeks of paid vacation a year. Some of our employees have accrued significant amounts of unused vacation over the years. Can we require those workers to use their accrued vacation by a certain date or forfeit it?

Address sexual harassment fast! It’s the right–and smart–thing to do

06/09/2010

When you find out that an employee has been doing things that make the work environment sexually hostile, you must fix the problem right away. The sooner you do, the less likely that an employee will successfully sue. That’s because employees have just 300 days to file EEOC charges. That clock starts ticking as soon as you start acting to clean up the environment.

What legal issues should we weigh before allowing employees to bring their pets to work

06/09/2010
Q. We run a pretty laid-back office and are considering allowing employees to bring their pets to work. Anything we should be thinking about?

Fed contractors must post labor rights notice starting June 21

06/08/2010
In two weeks, you must begin posting a new notice of employees’ rights under the National Labor Relations Act if you’re a government contractor doing $100,000 or more in business with the federal government or a subcontractor with contracts worth more than $10,000.

Don’t write a zero-tolerance violence policy unless you plan to apply it every time

06/07/2010

Many employers have adopted so-called zero-tolerance rules prohibiting any kind of violence at work. But be careful how you enforce the rule. If you ever make exceptions, you’ll be asking for a lawsuit. Instead, terminate violent employees promptly, as soon as you verify what happened.