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Employee Relations

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.

Can’t you even say the word ‘pregnant’ anymore?

06/21/2010

Aw c’mon. An employee is obviously pregnant but you can’t even say the “p” word? Does the mere use of the adjective translate into legal liability? One court recently said “relax.” It’s OK to say a woman is pregnant; just don’t make any employment decisions based on it or comment negatively. Still, it’s a bit tricky, as this case shows …

Before you decide to fire, make sure past job evaluations support your rationale

06/18/2010

Here’s a tip that will make courts more likely to uphold your termination decisions. Make sure whatever reason you use to justify the firing also showed up in past performance evaluations. Nothing raises suspicions more than kudos followed by discharge.

Firing? Back with complete discipline records

06/18/2010

Employers that keep careful track of which employees are disciplined—and for what reasons—have a leg up if they’re ever sued for discrimination. Before you terminate any employee, take the time to pull up all similar past disciplinary files. If those records show you fired other employees for identical or less-serious offenses, chances are no court will second-guess your decision in the latest case.

Security firm embraces, accommodates older workers

06/18/2010

The biggest challenge for retired police officer Jim Stephens is instilling a good work ethic in the young security guards who work for his security company in tiny Smock, Pa. So he pairs the newcomers with older employees—and some of them are as old as 75. In fact, 14 of the 24 people who work for Sonrise Security Patrol Inc. are older than 55, a demographic Stephens credits for his company’s success.

The HR I.Q. Test: June ’10

06/16/2010
Test your knowledge of recent trends in employment law, comp & benefits and other HR issues with our monthly mini-quiz …

State tax workers: No Bonnie and Clyde

06/15/2010
Some criminals think big. Then there’s Stefan Arteaga-Pitzenbauer, an employee of the New Jersey Division of Taxation’s unclaimed property office who thought he had hatched a foolproof get-rich-quick scheme.

Follow all leads when investigating allegations–even if they take query in new direction

06/11/2010

Investigations of workplace wrongdoing sometimes take unexpected turns. Don’t hesitate to keep digging, no matter where the evidence leads. You may discover that the employee who complained in the first place hasn’t been as innocent as he claims. If it turns out that an apparent victim has actually done something wrong, you can take disciplinary action.

‘Healthy Money’ program engages most of firm’s staff

06/07/2010

At the Pepsi Bottling Co. in Somers, N.Y., even the employees’ money is a health concern. Since the organization introduced a “financial wellness program” in 2008, more than 20,000 of its 33,000 U.S. employees have participated.

Want to attract and keep the best? Get out!

06/03/2010

Looking to build a culture that appeals to baby boomers, Gen X, Gen Y and young “Millennials”? Think it’s time to ramp up benefits that serve the needs of executives, production workers, full-timers and part-timers alike? Want yours to be known as a cool place to work? Choose from these six strategies uncovered by the Best Companies Group and Outside magazine in the process of compiling Outside’s 2010 “Best Places to Work” list.