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HR Management

Workplace violence: Recognizing the threats, reducing the danger

10/28/2008

If you’ve ever visited YouTube.com, you may have clicked on videos showing an assortment of office meltdowns. Laptops get smashed, desks are overturned. While some of these are funny to watch, each one probably made you think, “Man, I hope nothing like that ever happens at our office.” Sad to say, it could …

N.J. Supreme Court sets rules for proving religious discrimination

10/27/2008

The New Jersey Supreme Court has ruled for the first time on the proof employees must offer to make a religion-based hostile work environment claim stick. The case, Cutler v. Dorn, established that New Jersey courts must decide workplace religious discrimination claims using the same legal standards they use in racial and gender discrimination claims.

There’s getting hurt … then there’s the fear of getting hurt

10/27/2008

Here’s a tale of workplace terror so harrowing that one of the characters even used a pseudonym when he filed for workers’ comp … for injuries he had yet to receive.

Is it illegal for employees to use cell phones while driving?

10/24/2008

Q. Our employees often use their cell phones when driving vehicles. Does North Carolina prohibit or limit cell phone use while driving?

No ifs, ands or butts: Know Pennsylvania’s new smoking ban

10/22/2008

In June, Gov. Ed Rendell signed into law the Clean Indoor Air Act (CIAA), which regulates smoking in places across the commonwealth (except the city of Philadelphia because it already has a similar smoking ban in place). The CIAA prohibits smoking in indoor areas such as enclosed public places, restaurants, nightclubs and workplaces …

How can I make sure proprietary information doesn’t leave when employees do?

10/22/2008

Q. As an employer, what can I do to avoid unauthorized disclosure of sensitive company information when an employee departs?

How can I ensure a safe work environment?

10/22/2008

Q. What are some proactive strategies employers can implement to promote a safe workplace? …

Video surveillance: If you can’t do it right, don’t do it

10/21/2008

Video surveillance can help catch employees who are abusing the system. For example, video of an employee cleaning the gutters while on FMLA leave may show he’s not sick. But before you conduct your own surveillance or hire someone to do so, here’s a simple tip …

Are there state laws on record-keeping?

10/21/2008

Q. My company owns a large manufacturing facility in Georgia. I’m familiar with federal requirements, but does Georgia provide for record-keeping requirements under state fair employment practice laws? …

The new ADA Amendments Act: What every employer should know

10/21/2008

The ADA Amendments Act of 2008 will become effective on Jan. 1, 2009. Now is the time to prepare for the impact. The new law effectively broadens the scope of protection offered by the ADA, which Congress found to have been narrowed in recent years by various U.S. Supreme Court decisions and EEOC regulations.