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HR Management

How to manage ‘job creep’ in today’s jobless recovery

06/30/2011
More than half of all employees have taken on new roles during the eco­nomic downturn, according to a recent Spherion Staffing survey. That’s “job creep,” and it’s a big problem. Job creep has important employment law implications and it also means many of your job ­descriptions are probably outdated.

The EEOC, maximum leave policies and the new ADA amendments

06/30/2011
The EEOC is getting serious about helping disabled Americans. In early June, the agency held a public meeting on the use of leave as a reasonable accommodation. That move came just two weeks after the agency put its new ADA Amendments Act (ADAAA) regulations into effect.

Lorain steel company faces $563,000 in OSHA penalties

06/30/2011

Steel manufacturer Republic Engineered Products must answer to OSHA for seven allegedly willful violations and three alleged repeat safety violations at its Lorain plant. OSHA has proposed penalties total­ing $563,000.

Does our I-9 software comply with the law?

06/30/2011
Q. We use an electronic I-9 software system that was developed in-house. How can we ensure it complies with federal law?

Think twice before setting ‘English-only’ rule; courts view complaints as protected activity

06/30/2011
Don’t try to prevent employees from speaking languages other than Eng­lish at work, especially when they’re chatting among themselves. Unless you have a good business reason for banning other languages, courts will likely see the practice as discriminatory.

Switching from traditional leave to PTO? 7 questions to ask

06/29/2011
As you manage the scheduling head­­aches that come with summer vacations, it may be time to entirely reconsider how you handle employee leave. One option: Switch from a traditional time-off program to a paid time off (PTO) bank. Before you make the switch, you’ll ask some basic questions:

How does New Jersey law protect whistle-blowers?

06/28/2011
Q. What are our obligations to inform employees of their rights against retaliation if they report wrongdoing at work?

E is for Evidence: The HR Risks of Smoking-Gun Employee Emails

06/28/2011

Your employees may know how to physically send an email message. But have you ever taught them what should—and, more importantly, should not—be included in email? “The ‘e’ in email stands for eternal evidence and it doesn’t go away,” said attorney Mindy Chapman, author of the HR Specialist’s Case in Point blog, at this week’s Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) conference in Las Vegas…

Face-to-face counseling helps employees grasp benefits

06/27/2011
On average, 30% to 40% of an employee’s total compensation is wrapped up in benefits. Unfortunately, that information is often invisible to employees. The most effective way to make sure employees really know about the benefits you offer, their value and why they’re a great deal is to tell them face-to-face.

Violating your e-policies can be a federal crime

06/24/2011

If you’re worried that an employee or ex-employee will break into your computer network and damage the company, a new court ruling gives you more teeth to enforce your policy. And it gives employees something to think about before they commit e-sabotage.