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HR Management

Set rules for promotion, insist on compliance

07/23/2013
Here’s a good reason to post all promotion opportunities and let employees know where they can learn about openings. Employees can’t sue over missed promotions if they never bother to apply—as long as it’s clear how the promotion process works.

Medical pot laws don’t prohibit drug testing

07/23/2013
You are free to tell employees they can be terminated for having marijuana in their systems and then randomly test for the substance. That’s true even if a doctor recommends that the employee use medical marijuana.

Whaddya bet a lawyer didn’t write these work rules?

07/23/2013

Amy’s Baking Company gained notoriety this spring when TV celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay simply gave up trying to turn around the struggling restaurant on his show. “I can’t help people who can’t help themselves,” Ramsay said after the owners rejected his suggestions for improving the business. Apparently, the owners did try to help themselves when they wrote the restaurant’s employee policies …

Does social media improve internal communication?

07/19/2013
Despite employees’ pervasive personal use of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and other social media platforms, a recent Towers Watson survey found that only 56% of employers use social media to communicate and build community with their workers.

Work with providers to sort DOMA impact

07/18/2013
The June 26 Supreme Court decision that overturned Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act will have very specific effects on HR. The most immediate ones involve taxes on pay and benefits. If you operate in a state where same-sex marriage is legal, start working now with your benefits providers.

National origin, language & religion: Legally managing diversity at work

07/17/2013
To achieve compliance and prevent successful discrimination claims (which could involve class-action exposure), employers must be attuned to workplace issues around national origin, religion and race. For most employers, this means training management and HR personnel to carefully consider their policy-making and daily decisions that can affect such issues.

How to toot your HR horn without appearing to brag

07/15/2013
HR people who advance to executive levels know their value, and they make time to communicate it. The key, according to HR consultants: Diplomatically self–promote—no matter how busy you get—without the crassness and fanfare that alienates others.

Worker death can mean prison for company execs

07/15/2013
Here’s extra incentive to make sure your management team makes safety a priority: A former chemical company president in Texas pleaded guilty to occupational safety crimes in federal court and faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Looking for a document shredding firm? Consider 10 points before hiring

07/12/2013
Whether you have pallets of sensitive documents or just a few boxes you need destroyed, you may be considering using the services of a professional document shredding company. But do you know what to look for to get the best deal? Here are 10 pointers to guide you in the right direction, from Corporate Storage Services of Clifton, N.J.

Back to school … with your office supplies?

07/12/2013
Anecdotal evidence points to a great migration of pens, pencils, binders, folders and other office supplies from America’s workplaces to America’s classrooms as summer break ends.