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HR Management

State troopers charge ‘Arbitrary, antiquated’ processes are biased

08/25/2008
Twenty-three black and Hispanic state troopers are suing the New Jersey State Police, alleging bias in promotions, training, special assignments and discipline. The lawsuit claims the department’s promotion system is “an arbitrary, antiquated and subjective process that is skewed in favor of male Caucasians.”

What are the rules on recording an investigative conversation?

08/22/2008
Q. We need to investigate a claim of misconduct against an employee and will interview the employee in person or over the phone. May we record the conversation without telling the employee? …

Prepare for possible changes in employment eligibility verification

08/22/2008
Stories of immigration raids and heavy fines are as close as the nearest newspaper. But at the street level, North Carolina employers know they may be caught in the crossfire as federal and state governments increase efforts to weed out illegal and undocumented workers. Although federal law primarily governs immigration issues, North Carolina and some other states are considering implementing employment verification requirements of their own …

Violating any work rule can be just cause for termination

08/22/2008
Under N.C. General Statute § 126-35, North Carolina state government employees can be discharged only for “just cause,” a term the statute doesn’t clearly define. The vague language can make it difficult to terminate a state employee. But that’s not the case if a state agency has a clear set of rules, can show the employee knew about those rules and broke them anyway …

Keep daily injury logs to ensure legit workers’ comp claims

08/22/2008
Employees who hurt themselves at work sometimes wait weeks or even months before filing a workers’ compensation claim. What at first seems like a relatively harmless injury can flare into a debilitating condition months later. Such late claims put employers at a serious disadvantage …

Track which employees have access to hazardous areas

08/22/2008
If your organization manufactures products, your employees probably come in contact with hazardous chemicals or solvents from time to time. Of course, you follow OSHA guidelines and make sure employees on the production line use adequate protective gear. But what if an employee who works in the front office decides her lung or other health problems are work related and files for workers’ compensation? … 

Tell bosses: Don’t voice anger about discrimination complaint

08/22/2008
Want to create an instant retaliation claim after an employee says she lost out on a promotion because of discrimination? Just let a supervisor or manager react angrily to the accusation. It’s dangerous for managers to make any negative comments in the wake of what an employee says was discrimination. Bosses must learn to hold their tongues …

Stubble trouble: Can you fire unshaven employees?

08/21/2008
Do any of your employees look like they’ve just crawled out of a suitcase? A court recently addressed this question: If an employee is fired for ignoring his boss’s demands to get a shave, does that count as “misconduct” that disqualifies him from unemployment benefits? …

Employee handbooks: Are they mandatory?

08/21/2008
Q. I just joined a new company that’s never had an employee handbook and doesn’t seem interested in doing so.  Do we have to create one? — K.D., Colorado …

Employ teens? Child-Labor fines, enforcement on the rise

08/21/2008
Buried in the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) that President Bush signed this year was a little-noticed provision that substantially increased the potential fines against employers that violate federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) child-labor laws. If employees under age 18 are killed or seriously hurt due to an FLSA child-labor violation, employers can now face a $50,000 fine for each violation