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HR Management

Ensure your handbook leaves out details about benefits

05/22/2023
Your handbook probably states you reserve the right to amend it at any time for any reason. That disclaimer helps protect against claims that your handbook is a binding contract. But that kind of language can cause problems if your handbook describes benefits that may be covered by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act.

Prepare to protect this summer’s unique corps of teen workers

05/22/2023
If you plan to hire teens for seasonal jobs, brace yourself for a teen workforce like no other before it. Prepare to deal with more than the usual amount of teenage angst.

Compliance perspectives for employers in the food manufacturing industry

05/17/2023
The food manufacturing industry performs an essential function—making sure the country’s population has access to safe and plentiful food at all times. Much like mail delivery, neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night should prevent the stocking of grocery shelves.

Beware dress codes with gender-specific rules

05/15/2023
If your dress and grooming code includes gender-specific requirements, you could be courting a sex-discrimination lawsuit.

Legal words of wisdom from LEAP 2023

05/12/2023
If you missed the annual Labor & Employment Law Advanced Practices Symposium 2023, don’t worry—the HR Specialist: Employment Law team was in Las Vegas March 29-31 to gather the best advice from the nation’s most respected employment law attorneys. More than 30 sessions covered the most relevant employment law topics. Here are some of the educational highlights.

Two legal must-haves for your employee handbook

05/12/2023
Compiling and updating your employee handbook is a daunting task that gets longer every day as employers grapple with a growing list of laws and policies to include in this document. But according to one legal counsel and another HR expert who presented at a recent employment law conference, there are only two legally mandated provisions that must be included in your handbook: information on the FMLA and an anti-harassment policy.

Meetings are bad—should we cancel them all?

05/10/2023
Setting a policy restricting meetings is well-intentioned and makes for nice headlines but doesn’t solve the underlying problem. The problem isn’t meetings, it is having meetings that are called for the wrong reasons, have an unclear purpose and/or have too many people in attendance.

4 strategies for strengthening internal mobility

05/10/2023
In times of low unemployment—like now, when securing talent is so difficult—internal mobility can be a godsend. Utilizing current employees in new capacities instead of recruiting outsiders saves time and money. Plus, current workers—whether promoted or transferred to new roles—already understand your mission and culture, and management knows what to expect based on past performance.

HR leaders express confidence in AI, hiring and engagement

05/10/2023
Will artificial intelligence be a boom or a bust for corporate America? According to a recent survey, 65% of chief human resource officers believe AI will have a positive impact on the human capital function within the next two years.

Manage the balancing act when accommodating employees’ religious beliefs

05/08/2023
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of religion and requires employers to reasonably accommodate an employee’s sincerely held religious beliefs and practices, can sometimes clash with employers’ legitimate business needs and may cause employee-relations problems. Here’s how employers can balance their own needs with their duty to accommodate workers’ religious beliefs and practices.