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Employee Relations

New IT system helps Barilla cut down turnover

12/16/2010
Pasta maker Barilla America scored a big “zero” with employees last year: zero work stoppages due to faulty processes, plus overall employee turnover decreased to 8.1%. Reason: A $50 million overhaul of the organization’s 18-year-old IT systems and work processes gave employees the tools they needed to increase speed and improve efficiency.

Employee returning from FMLA leave? Don’t demand heroic catch-up

12/14/2010

Exempt employees are generally expected to work as long and as hard as they need to in order to get their jobs done. But that doesn’t mean employers should expect exempt employees returning from FMLA leave to burn the midnight oil to get caught up if no one took up the slack during the absence. Insisting on that is an invitation to be sued for retaliation.

Give employees heads-up on new flex spending rules

12/07/2010

The new health care reform law resulted in some changes in the way health care Flexible Spending Accounts will work—and employees need to act on some of those changes right away! Help employees make the most of current FSA benefits and plan future health spending by letting them know about the following changes.

The HR I.Q. Test: December ’10

12/02/2010
Test your knowledge of recent trends in employment law, comp & benefits and other HR issues with our monthly mini-quiz …

Women: Holiday Inn manager expressed himself inappropriately

12/01/2010
A North Carolina hotel management company finds itself exposed to legal liability because the manager of the Holiday Inn Express in Simpsonville, S.C., allegedly exposed himself to female employees.

Beware disciplining worker who has claimed harassment

12/01/2010
Unless an employee has a poor performance history, don’t fire him a few days after he reports harassment.

Do your best to promote workplace civility, but don’t sweat faux pas that weren’t meant to offend

12/01/2010
Good employers strive to create a workplace that’s as respectful and civil as possible. But even in organizations that try their best, supervisors and managers sometimes mess up. A poor choice of words or an ill-timed joke can create tension and inflame passions. Mistakes like those don’t necessarily mean the employer is destined to lose if an employee sues.

Use deliberate process to make termination decisions–and demonstrate your good faith

12/01/2010

When you must terminate an employee, resist the temptation to “throw the book” at him by dredging up every possible mistake. That can backfire. Instead, make sure your termination process is respectful, careful and deliberate. An employer that seems reasonable almost always fares better in court.

Same offense, different discipline? Back it up

12/01/2010

Your progressive discipline probably gives you some flexibility to hand out different punishment, depending on the seriousness of the employee misconduct. As a practical matter, that means you must decide whether what one employee does is more serious than another’s similar transgression. Make sure you’re able to explain why one offense was worse than another and deserved harsher punishment.

Unionized? You may be able to use progressive discipline to address some forms of harassment

12/01/2010

If your organization is unionized and operates under a collective bargaining agreement that calls for progressive discipline, think twice before automatically firing an employee you believe has sexually harassed other employees. Unless your contract specifies discharge for a first harassment offense, you may have to follow your progressive discipline program.