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HR Management

Great! You have an anti-harassment policy; now make sure all your employees can use it

01/11/2010

Your organization probably has policies prohibiting sexual harassment, and you probably offer training for supervisors and employees alike on how the policy works. But that simply isn’t enough. What really matters is what happens once an employee picks up the phone or stops by HR to discuss potential sexual harassment.

Provide security around workplace to prevent assaults—and crippling lawsuits

01/11/2010

Ohio’s workers’ compensation laws are complex, and employers that want to fight a claim may find themselves in court for years. That costs money. That’s why smart employers look for ways to prevent claims. One of those preventive methods involves the area sometimes referred to as the “zone of employment.”

OSHA cites grain processing plant

01/11/2010

OSHA has cited Minnesota-based Endres Processing LLC and its subsidiary Endres Processing Ohio for numerous hazards at the companies’ Upper Sandusky plant. Endres manufactures animal feed from unused dairy products. OSHA cited large amounts of dust in the plant as both a fire and breathing hazard.

OSHA eschews Mickey Mouse approach with Disney World

01/11/2010

OSHA has cited Walt Disney World following two fatal accidents at the amusement park. Last July, a monorail train operator was killed when a switching error brought two trains together on the same track. In August, an actor died from injuries suffered during Disney’s new “Pirates of the Caribbean” stage show.

Ohio employers may get $6K per new hire under stimulus plan

01/11/2010

Using money from the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act stimulus funding law, a statewide initiative called Project HIRE (Hometown Investment in Regional Economies) could pay Ohio employers $6,000 to train each qualified new worker they hire.

Unemployment Insurance

01/08/2010

HR Law 101: Under the Federal Unemployment Tax Act (FUTA) and state laws, employers are obligated to pay payroll taxes to provide unemployment compensation to employees who lose their jobs. By understanding how the system works, you may be able to cut your state tax rate through efficient claims control …

Flying pocketknife cuts into heart of employer’s policy

01/07/2010

Employers may suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune from time to time. But when knives fly at work, supervisors better know the relevant company policies. Consider the case of an employee at the North Carolina Department of Transportation who was apparently the workplace prankster.

Are employee texts private? Supreme Court to decide

01/07/2010

The U.S. Supreme Court agreed late last year to rule for the first time on whether employees have a right to privacy when sending text messages on cell phones and electronic devices supplied by their employers. The case involves several California police officers who were disciplined for sexually explicit texts.

Keep your workplace drug-free without creating liability

01/07/2010

When drug abuse isn’t an obvious problem in the workplace, it’s easy for employers to develop a cavalier attitude about it. That’s not smart. It’s in your best interest to detect employee drug abuse early and root it out immediately. But that’s easier said than done. Keeping your workplace drug-free means knowing how to spot the problem and effectively respond to it—without violating employees’ legal rights and creating legal liability.

Take a proactive approach to prevent workplace violence

01/07/2010

Recent workplace shootings in Orlando, Fla., and Fort Hood serve as powerful reminders that employers must heed signs that an employee could act out and harm co-workers or supervisors. There were 768 violence-related deaths in the workplace in 2008. Despite those disturbing numbers, many employers stick their heads in the sand. They put their assets and employees at risk by gambling that “it couldn’t happen here.”