• The HR Specialist - Print Newsletter
  • HR Specialist: Employment Law
  • The HR Weekly

HR Management

Most managers just tossed into the deep end

07/24/2018
More than half (59%) of new managers receive no training at all on how to manage.

When punishing harassment, you may discipline different perpetrators differently

07/14/2018
Employers investigating workplace harassment accusations may wonder if all the alleged perpetrators must be disciplined equally harshly. You do have some discretion in how you mete out punishment. Just make sure you can later justify why one party was less culpable or deserved a lesser punishment than others.

Sample Policy: Social Media

07/14/2018
The following sample policy was excerpted from The Book of Company Policies, published by HR Specialist. Edit for your organization’s purposes ________________________________ “Social media (including personal and professional websites, blogs, chat rooms and bulletin boards; social networks, such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter; video-sharing sites such as YouTube; and e-mail) are a common means of […]

Review your handbook: NLRB changes the rules on workplace rules

07/13/2018
The National Labor Relations Board last year overturned an established standard for determining if workplace rules comply with the National Labor Relations Act. Now the NLRB has issued a memorandum providing employer guidance.

Fines for fatal fire at Orange County, N.Y. cosmetics maker

07/13/2018
OSHA has issued fines in the wake of its investigation into a massive fire in November 2017 that killed an employee at Verla International’s factory in New Windsor, N.Y.

OSHA inspectors beat a path to Bensalem, Pa. construction firm

07/10/2018
Strong Contractors in Bensalem, Pa. has become the go-to destination for OSHA inspectors. Since March 2017, they have descended on Strong worksites 14 times.

Public-policy exception means at-will status doesn’t always apply

07/10/2018
A federal court interpreting Pennsylvania law has concluded that firing a worker for calling in a complaint to OSHA provides protection under the public-policy exception.

Draw up training annual report to show value of learning

07/10/2018
A training annual report can help demonstrate HR’s worth when it comes to employee training and development. It can help break the pattern of slicing training budgets, which are often the first to suffer when companies tighten their belts.

Kavanaugh appointment unlikely to skew employment law cases

07/10/2018
If Judge Brett Kavanaugh is confirmed to join the U.S. Supreme Court, replacing retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy, it probably won’t signal a significant shift in how the court approaches employment law cases.

Protect workers from summer heat hazards

07/05/2018
Summer has arrived with a vengeance over much of the United States, with high temperatures in the 90s for days at a time. That means employees who work outdoors or in spaces without air conditioning are at high risk for heat illness.