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Employee Relations

Adapt ‘Management by Walking Around’ for the HR World

10/01/2006

Paul, an HR professional, walked into the accounting department, glanced into a cubicle and noticed an employee on the verge of tears. "Is everything OK?" Paul asked. That triggered a flood of complaints about her boss, her child care problems and the lack of advancement opportunities in the company. Paul would never have uncovered those problems if he’d been sitting behind his desk, waiting for emergencies to come knocking …

Help boomers use FMLA accurately for elder care leave

10/01/2006

As your baby boomer employees watch their parents enter their 80s and 90s, more of them are taking time off to care for those aging parents. The problem: More than 60 percent of employers believe they’ve granted FMLA time off that was unfounded, according to a Society for Human Resource Management survey. That spells unwarranted absenteeism, which can disrupt work flow …

Put a lid on loud talking in the workplace

10/01/2006

Thirty-two percent of people surveyed by Harris Interactive said "people talking loudly at work" is one of their biggest pet peeves …

‘Suspicion’ not enough to win discrimination suit

10/01/2006

Employees need more than a hunch that their employer discriminates based on age. They need some kind of proof …

Insubordination policy trumps progressive discipline

10/01/2006

Many employers who have progressive discipline and no-fault attendance programs believe they must stick to progressive discipline for every attendance infraction. But that’s not so …

Don’t bait worker into insubordination; It’ll smell like bias

10/01/2006

Insubordination is a perfectly logical and legal reason to fire an employee. But juries will be suspicious if it looks like one of your supervisors "set up" the employee to give you a reason to terminate …

Screen teleworkers before sending sensitive data home

10/01/2006

Allowing employees to work from home can be a boon for employers trying to increase productivity and keep talented employees from leaving for more flexible jobs. But this flexibility can present an increased risk of fraud, theft and legal action if you keep personal information about employees or customers on your computer network …

9 ways to celebrate National Work & Family Month

10/01/2006

October marks the fourth annual National Work & Family Month, an honor that Congress commissioned in 2003 because, it said, "supporting a balance between work and personal life is in the best interest of national worker productivity" …

Hostile work environment depends on nature of job

10/01/2006

Some jobs are more difficult than others, and employees who choose to work in tough fields may have to develop a thicker skin. When it comes to deciding whether a work site fosters a "hostile work environment," courts typically decide whether harassment is objectively abusive based on the circumstances of the worker’s job …

Design your bonus program with the FMLA in mind

10/01/2006

Pennsylvania employers can look to a recent 3rd Circuit Court decision to keep their bonus plans in compliance with the FMLA. The case is the first of its kind in the country and provides employers with guidance beyond that found in the FMLA’s regulations. The decision is now law in Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey and the Virgin Islands …