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Employment Law

When customers cross the line

06/02/2005
Employers can be liable for harassment of workers not only by other workers, but also by customers. But often, managers who’d have no qualms about investigating—or firing—a harassing co-worker are nervous about jeopardizing a customer relationship.

Review all handouts for legal bombshells

06/01/2005
You can’t personally review every book, video or training material that supervisors distribute to employees. But it’s wise to review as much of those materials as possible for appropriateness and legally …

Tighten policy to foil new identity-theft risks

06/01/2005
If your organization hasn’t taken identity theft seriously, here are two good reasons to start now: Starting June 1, federal law requires you to properly dispose
of employee background-check information …

Don’t allow managers to issue hasty termination letters

06/01/2005
If you haven’t already, establish a policy that says HR and/or other senior executives must review supervisors’ termination proposals. The goal: Prevent supervisors from making legally dangerous firings out of anger, …

Hiring, ADA

06/01/2005
When you or your hiring managers need to fill an open slot fast, it may be tempting to skip steps in the application process. But don’t do it; follow the proper …

Review severance pact for clarity; define ‘for cause’ terminations

06/01/2005
Many employers offer severance to soften the blow of terminations and to buy a little insurance against lawsuits. But for those agreements to be enforceable, it’s important that you define the …

Don’t punish religious principles for non-job-related reasons

06/01/2005
Federal law says you must accommodate employees’ religious practices or beliefs unless doing so would cause an undue hardship on the employer.
The key question: What’s considered an “undue hardship” …

Cut costs by challenging requests for intermittent FMLA leave

06/01/2005

Employees are becoming well versed in the FMLA game, and you’re paying the price.
Proof: Unscheduled intermittent FMLA leave now accounts for a sizable portion of all FMLA leave, says …

Encourage employee language skills the legally safe way

06/01/2005
Nearly half of employers say they make employee diversity a competitive selling point for their organizations, according to a new Novations survey of 1,780 HR execs and senior managers.
Still, …

Break time: Solve confusion over whether you must pay

06/01/2005
THE LAW. Contrary to popular belief, the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) doesn’t require employers to provide meal breaks or rest breaks for employees over age 18. However, several states …