04/28/2008
Q. A female sales representative submitted a harassment complaint to HR about comments posted by one of her co-workers on MySpace. Our company’s Internet policy addresses only use of the Internet and personal e-mail in the office. Can we discipline the employee? ...
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04/24/2008
There’s no such thing as a completely objective performance evaluation. It’s impossible to totally eliminate manager subjectivity. That can become a legal problem when, for example, a poorly rated employee is promoted over a minority. Increased subjectivity is one of the main reasons employers should consider turning to performance evaluation software ...
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04/08/2008
You can punish employees who abuse computer use as long as you do so consistently. But recognize that some abuses are obviously worse than others. Someone who spends company time bidding on eBay may be due a reprimand. But someone who forwards risqué or racist jokes should receive more severe discipline, up to and including discharge ...
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04/01/2008
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent Cory Voorhis is on unpaid leave over allegations that he misused confidential agency data to aid the 2006 gubernatorial campaign of Bob Beauprez ...
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04/01/2008
It may not be a knife or a gun, but a computer is often a choice weapon when an employee decides to commit a crime. Employers that do not have—or consistently enforce—a computer-use policy may face unintended liability ...
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04/01/2008
Salvatore Salerno, a sociology instructor at the Hutchinson campus of Ridgewater College, sued for age discrimination after being passed over for a full-time, tenure-track position ...
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04/01/2008
More than a quarter of employers say they’ve fired employees for misusing e-mail, and one-third have fired workers for misusing the Internet, according to an annual American Management Association survey ...
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04/01/2008
Q. We would like to monitor e-mail usage at our workplace. Can we access employee e-mail without violating their rights to privacy? ...
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04/01/2008
When fans of natural cosmetics maker Burt’s Bees learned the company was selling itself to Clorox, a buzz of protest followed, as customers complained the bleach maker was not environmentally friendly. In response, CEO John Replogle went blogging ...
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04/01/2008
A simple Google search for “HR software” will return a mind-numbing half million results. Some systems live up to the hype, and some don’t. To select the right vendor and software for your organization, arm yourself with these nine questions to narrow your search ...
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04/01/2008
Whether or not you’re actively job hunting, it pays to ratchet up your professional image outside your office. (After all, you never know who might google your name.) For that, the e-portfolio can be your most powerful tool ...
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03/01/2008
Three teenage students suspended for calling a teacher a pedophile on the social networking site Facebook.com have settled their lawsuits with the Three Rivers School District in Cincinnati ...
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03/01/2008
Last year, while you were hard at work, so was the New York Legislature. Lawmakers passed a record number of laws affecting employers in 2007. Some laws you may have read about, while others you may have missed. Make sure you're up to speed on new state laws that surely will impact how you manage employees in 2008 and beyond ...
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03/01/2008
Q. Our company would like to start a program where all sales employees will use cell phones that have GPS monitoring. We want to keep track of where employees are so we can make sure they make their sales calls in their own territories and are not wasting time. Is this OK to do? Must we tell employees about the GPS monitoring? What about tracking employees after hours? ...
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03/01/2008
The Internet has created a whole new pond for employment lawyers to fish in. But you’re not powerless to your employees’ embarrassing—and potentially illegal—online activities. You can discipline employees who go over the line. You should specify what off-duty activity is prohibited in terms of unbecoming, immoral or illegal behavior ...
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