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HR Management

Adoption Benefit Spawns In-House Support Group

11/01/2006

A few years ago, the SAS Institute started reimbursing employees who adopted children up to $5,000 toward their expenses. The company also began covering adopted children as soon as the parent gained custody, rather than after all the legal wrangling was finished—a benefit popular with employees …

OSHA fines Oriental Weavers $125,000 over fatal accident

11/01/2006

If you think safety issues may be lurking in your workplace, don’t wait until an accident or injury brings OSHA calling. Otherwise, the agency will surely do a top-to-bottom inspection and catch even minor problems. That can mean a hefty penalty, as one Georgia carpet manufacturer recently learned …

Study: Good-Looking people suffer a ‘Beauty penalty’ at work

11/01/2006

Studies in the past have shown that attractive people generally earn a "beauty premium." That is, they earn more money, enjoy better performance reviews and people view them as being more intelligent and trustworthy. But according to a recent study published by Rice University, those studies may have it wrong …

Must we report employees’ domestic abuse?

11/01/2006

Q. As an employer, do we have an obligation to alert authorities about at-home physical abuse of an employee? We have an employee who has been open about abuse at the hands of a spouse, so we know it’s going on. —S. R., Wisconsin

Supreme Court: No Need to Investigate ‘Silent’ Victims

11/01/2006

When the U.S. Supreme Court began its new term, one of its first moves was to reject a case that could have created new responsibilities for employers in investigating sexual harassment …

Setting deadlines for employees: 4 do’s and don’ts

11/01/2006
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Warn managers: Don’t hire ‘in the heat of the moment’

11/01/2006

Inexperienced interviewers sometimes—out of nervousness or not wanting to hurt a candidate’s feelings—make overly positive statements about the candidate’s chances. That false belief can lead to suspicion (and legal trouble) when the person is later rejected …

Head off rising costs: Explore reasons for high claims

11/01/2006

You can look forward to smaller increases in health-plan costs for 2007, even though medical and prescription drug-plan costs are still expected to run at more than twice the rate of general inflation, according to the 2007 Segal Health Plan Cost Trend Survey …

Gov. Perry creates Health Care Technology Partnership

11/01/2006

Gov. Rick Perry recently issued an executive order creating the Texas Health Care System Integrity Authority, a new public-private partnership that aims for better use of information technology in the health care industry …

Use snail mail, not e-mail, to file unemployment appeal

11/01/2006

While it may seem convenient to use e-mail to file appeals of unemployment compensation decisions, be aware of this risk: If the Unemployment Compensation Board of Review doesn’t receive your e-mail, your appeal will be rejected when the 15-day appeal period expires …