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HR Management

Firing meetings: Let workers talk; ‘zip it’ doesn’t work

03/11/2011

You’ve had it up to here. Now it’s time to fire a poorly performing employee. As you’re about to do so, the employee wants to tell you something. But you tell her to “zip it.” Nothing she says will change your mind. As this case shows, you better zip it yourself and listen. Here’s why …

How do we legally correct errors on I-9s?

03/10/2011
Q. I found some minor errors in our I-9 forms. For example, some have signatures on the wrong line. Is it legal to correct the errors or do I need to have the forms filled out again? If I do new forms, should I back-date them?

The top 10 ‘banned at work’ web sites

03/08/2011
New research by web security firm OpenDNS says U.S. employers are mostly concerned with blocking employees’ access to social media, online games and personal e-mail. Here are the top 10 banned sites:

Hug or a handshake: Which does your workplace embrace?

03/08/2011
Like people, some workplaces welcome huggers. Others prefer a smartly extended right hand. “To hug or not to hug” is the question … and here’s the answer.

Kasich takes gender identity out of Ohio’s bias policy

03/04/2011
Already under political assault for appointing an all-white cabinet, Gov. John Kasich raised hackles in Ohio’s gay community when he eliminated gender identity as a protected class for state workers.

Make sure employee handbook supports compliance with leave laws

03/04/2011
Employers are generally free to develop their own internal policies, but many laws require employers to notify employees of those policies. Consider the case of Jones v. City of Atlantic City in which an FMLA dispute revealed that Atlantic City hadn’t updated its handbook in 13 years. In fact, the last update happened two months before the FMLA was signed into law.

Make sure managers understand: They may be personally liable for racial slurs

03/04/2011
Here’s some food for thought you may want to pass along to supervisors, managers and your colleagues in HR who deal directly with employees. If they are actively involved in any activity that creates a hostile work environment, they may find themselves personally liable as an aider and abettor.

Disclaimer can counter employment-contract argument

03/04/2011
A disclaimer that clearly states an employee has no employment contract may be enough to kill a tortuous interference-with-contract claim.

The HR I.Q. Test: March ’11

03/04/2011
Test your knowledge of recent trends in employment law, comp & benefits and other HR issues with our monthly mini-quiz …

11 keyboard shortcuts help you work faster, smarter

03/03/2011

Whether it’s a speedy way to create a bar chart or a trick for switching from one window to the next, keyboard shortcuts can help even power users knock out work faster. Here are a few of our readers’ faves.