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HR Management

11 steps help make flexible work a success

11/15/2010
The DOL’s Women’s Bureau has started what it calls “a national dialogue on workplace flexibility,” and the agency is pushing employers to focus more on the work/life benefits of flex. Here are 11 steps you can take to make flex programs more successful—making work/life balance easier for your employees and improving your overall business operations:

Set up systems to prevent employee sabotage

11/12/2010

Employees often have legitimate reasons for accusing their employers of retaliation. But sometimes, employees themselves retaliate against a company, either out of malice, or to head off being fired. That’s one reason it pays to try to anticipate employee misfeasance and guard against sabotage.

Illinois ranks high in magazine’s business climate ratings

11/11/2010

Illinois has the nation’s 16th best business climate, according to Site Selection magazine. Each year, the magazine rates the states by tallying up manufacturing plant openings and new expansions of other corporate facilities. It also surveys site selectors—the people who help companies decide where to locate—to get their take on state business climates.

What’s the best way to handle termination meetings?

11/11/2010
Q. I just terminated an employee and it was an ugly, public scene. Do you have any tips for making termination meetings easier?

Despite recent 8th Circuit ruling, stamp out ‘equal-opportunity harassment’ to keep harmony

11/11/2010

Here’s some food for thought: Failing to stop an employee from harassing women and men alike may be legally acceptable, but is probably still ill-advised. An employer that allows such conduct may escape legal liability, but that tolerance may make the workplace unattractive to good employees. Plus, it probably won’t be as productive as it would be with good anti-harassment policies in place.

Conducting workplace investigations: A step-by-step guide

11/10/2010
Disputes between co-workers and between employees and their bosses are almost inevitable—which is why every HR professional must know how to gather the necessary facts to find out what’s going on. Take some time to think about and plan your inquiry even for simple, seemingly routine issues. If the situation is complicated or raises a red flag about possible legal claims, a well-planned investigation can be critically important.

In one word, what do you want to teach on Day One?

11/10/2010
A recent LinkedIn HR group discussion posed this question: “In one word, what would you like to show/teach new employees on their first day of work?” Of the more than 1,500 comments, here are 25 of the most popular:

EEOC issues final GINA regulations

11/09/2010
The EEOC has just issued final regulations implementing the Genetic Information Non-Discrimination Act (GINA), the federal law that makes it illegal for employers to use genetic information to make decisions about health insurance and employment. Download the final regs here, and then use them as the basis for reviewing your wellness program and other work processes that might violate GINA.

HR gossip girl: The risk of divulging employees’ secrets

11/09/2010
As an HR professional, you have an open door. And you’re always encouraging employees to ask questions about their benefits. But sometimes, that door needs to be shut … and so should your mouth. As a new lawsuit shows, repeating even the question asked by an employee can trigger a multi-claim lawsuit …

Planning for the worst: Implementing a workplace violence policy

11/08/2010
You can’t predict the behavior of your employees, clients and all their associates. You can’t anticipate every possible danger. But the law dictates that you, as the employer, have a “duty of care” to keep all individuals in your workplace safe from dangers you can reasonably anticipate. To do that, you need to evaluate potential dangers and formulate an appropriate action plan.