• The HR Specialist - Print Newsletter
  • HR Specialist: Employment Law
  • The HR Weekly

HR Management

Control costs with furlough strategy that’s flexible, fair

06/05/2009

If your organization is limping through the economic downturn, you’ve no doubt considered cutting down your labor burden to save money. Before you resort to radical surgery—in the form of layoffs—consider a more benign cure that increases the odds of a full recovery. Furloughs—requiring staff to take unpaid time off—can reduce payroll costs without inflicting long-term damage.

Lawsuits on the rise: Audit your policies to prevent litigation

06/05/2009

The economy is a shambles, and employers are doing everything they can to stay in business. That includes terminations, salary and wage cuts and temporary furloughs. Nearly every one of those moves carries litigation risk. Have your company’s personnel policies and practices had a checkup lately? A comprehensive audit is one of the easiest ways to spot problems.

Internet recruiting strategy reaps tech-savvy movers

06/05/2009

Movers who work for All My Sons Moving & Storage can check online to learn if they need to make the trip to headquarters to pick up a truck. CFO Ormando Gomez is recruiting more Internet-savvy movers—by using the Internet to recruit them.

Bosses, staff atwitter about social networking sites

06/05/2009

Bosses and employees have very different views of employee privacy when it comes to posting on social networking sites, according to a recent Deloitte survey. Sixty percent of executives responding to the survey said they have a right to know how employees portray their companies online, but 53% of workers said their off-duty posts are none of their employers’ business.

Problem Solved: Real People … Real Comp & Benefits Solutions, July ’09

06/05/2009

This month’s collection of real-world quick tips from American business leaders, brought to you by members of The Alternative Board.

Small institution tackles big premium hikes

06/05/2009

When the Lake Forest Graduate School of Management got socked with back-to-back health premium increases of 21.9% and 19% in 2004 and 2005, respectively, its HR execs knew it was up to them to help the employees get healthy.

Use progressive discipline—or prepare to pay unemployment even if conduct was outrageous

06/05/2009

Ohio employees who are discharged for just cause aren’t entitled to unemployment compensation payments. But Ohio courts frequently hesitate to cut off unemployment benefits for one-time conduct that may be outrageous—as long as the employee doesn’t have a history of past disciplinary problems and the employer has a progressive discipline program it didn’t use.

Use TEAM approach to stay union-free in a union-friendly world

06/05/2009

By now, nearly everyone in HR has heard of the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), under which unions would have a much easier time becoming certified. Because unions have become more aggressive and more successful at unionization even without the EFCA, I recommend that employers adopt the TEAM approach to keeping their workplaces union-free.

How can we prepare for a flu pandemic?

06/05/2009

Q. I am very concerned about the H1N1 flu outbreak, especially if it flares up again this fall. Are there are steps I should take to prepare my business if an employee contracts the illness?

Can we make employees pay for work uniforms?

06/05/2009

Q. Are there any laws that prohibit me from charging my employees for their mandatory work uniforms?