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Training

Don’t drag your feet on employees’ accommodation requests

10/01/2005
Some problems will eventually go away if you wait long enough. But that’s not the attitude to take when employees request workplace accommodations for their physical or mental conditions.
The …

Teach managers how to handle staff returning from injury

10/01/2005
Issue: Employees who return from injury leave may or may not be covered under the ADA.
Risk: By treating employees as if they’re “disabled” (even if they’re not), supervisors create …

Using insensitive nicknames can spell bias

10/01/2005
Issue: Some supervisors, particularly males, try to bond with employees by giving them nicknames.
Risk: When nicknames are insensitive to a protected class (race, ethnicity, etc.), they could trigger hostile-environment …

Prepare for a bigger role in Sarbanes-Oxley compliance

10/01/2005
Issue: Sarbanes-Oxley’s focus on HR requires you to do more to help your organization comply.
Benefit: Helping your organization meet SarbOx mandates enhances your role as a strategic partner.
…

Background check isn’t enough; tight supervision keeps liability at bay

09/01/2005
Your organization can be held liable for “negligent hiring” if an employee commits a crime and you could have (or should have) prevented it. That’s why it’s crucial to run background …

Don’t shrug off complaints of female-on-male harassment

09/01/2005
If a male employee complains about sexually harassing comments by a female co-worker, how would your supervisors respond?
Too often, bosses (and some HR professionals) laugh off such “reverse” harassment …

5 ways to earn immediate respect for HR

09/01/2005
Issue: How to make senior execs view you as a bottom-line contributor, not a “necessary evil” in your organization.
Benefit: Gain respect and build evidence for your next pay-raise negotiation. …

Analyze employee handouts for legally explosive content

09/01/2005
Issue: Ready-to-use employee training materials flood the Internet.
Risk: Your supervisors create liability risks by distributing videos, books or handouts without first vetting them for offensive content.
Action: Review …

Don’t make ex-Employees pay training costs

09/01/2005

Q. We’ve started requiring employees to repay the company (through payroll deduction) for training costs if they quit or are fired within one year. Are we OK legally? —S.M., Kentucky

Look beyond SHRM for help in education, training

09/01/2005
Issue: When it comes to skills building, many HR specialists think only about the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).
Risk: SHRM is a great source, but HR pros shouldn’t …