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Employee Relations

Help employees ease holiday-season stress

11/01/2004
The most popular thing U.S. employers do to help employees alleviate holiday-related stress is to schedule holiday events during business hours …

Tell employees to read each form; don’t summarize

11/01/2004
Issue: The danger of telling employees “Don’t bother reading that; it probably doesn’t apply to you.” Risk: Courts may view your action as a cover-up, sparking …

Build support for your decisions with ‘visible’ thinking

11/01/2004
Issue: The wording you use to explain your decisions, and the organization’s decisions, affect your credibility.
Risk: Vague or nonexistent explanations …

Want a competitive edge? Push managers to give feedback

11/01/2004
Issue: The importance of giving consistent feedback on employee performance. Benefit: When managers provide feedback, employees are more likely to stay …

Tell ‘key employees’ right away if denying job reinstatement

11/01/2004
Issue: FMLA lets you deny post-leave reinstatement, in some situations, to highly paid “key employees.” Benefit: That provision can shelter your organization from …

Start ‘leave meter’ running at first absence

11/01/2004
Issue: When does FMLA leave begin? How soon do you need to notify employees on leave? Benefit: A new court ruling clarifies that those 12 weeks begin with the first …

Protecting workers from harassment isn’t a ‘one and done’ deal

11/01/2004
Your best defense against a hostile environment claim is proof that you took quick and effective steps to stop the hostility. But courts won’t look kindly on your efforts if you …

Warn managers: Avoid assumptions about pregnant employees’ limits

11/01/2004
The Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA) says you can’t fire, demote or discipline a pregnant employee simply because of her condition. Take that one step further by reminding supervisors that they also …

Handle sticky-fingered employees with kid gloves

11/01/2004
Issue: HR must walk a legal tightrope when employees are suspected of in-house theft. Risk: A bungled theft investigation increases your organization’s …

You can ban outsiders from ADA accommodation talks

10/01/2004
When you’re trying to work out job accommodations with disabled employees, they may ask to bring others into the discussion. Must you allow this? No, according …