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HR Management

Sudden vigilance of company rules can look like retaliation

12/01/2006

When employees sue your organization, it can be tempting for supervisors to keep a closer eye on those litigious employees to make sure they’re “playing by the rules.” But be careful: If you suddenly start enforcing your company’s existing rules or turn into Big Brother, you could end up facing a second lawsuit, for retaliation …

Be able to prove good faith in commission calculations

12/01/2006

If you use a written commission compensation plan as part of your incentive-pay program, make sure you do two things. Otherwise, a court could second-guess your commission calculations …

N.J. judge takes dim view of banning ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’

12/01/2006

A mother who alleged she was ordered to stop breast-feeding her infant at the Tiffany’s in the Short Hills Mall, Essex County recently lost her discrimination lawsuit. But the case was a near miss …

What Is a ‘Hostile Work Environment’ Under N.J. Anti-Bias Law?

12/01/2006

New Jersey’s Law Against Discrimination (LAD) prohibits discrimination against employees because of their “race, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, age, sex, affectional or sexual orientation, marital status, familial status, liability for services in the Armed Forces of the United States, disability or nationality” …

How to hold orientation for non-English speaking staff

12/01/2006

A reader of our weekly e-mail newsletter recently posed this question to the other readers: “What’s the best way to include Spanish-speaking employees in orientation sessions with a predominantly English-speaking group?” …

New Oxford tavern owner accused of sexual harassment

12/01/2006

The EEOC last month filed a lawsuit against the owner of the Crazy Horse Steak House & Saloon in New Oxford for sexually harassing female employees …

Make sure your arbitration agreement is valid in Texas

12/01/2006

Arbitration agreements, in which employees give up their rights to go to court and instead submit their cases to arbitration, can be a great way to avoid unpredictable juries, negative publicity and the expense of a full-blown lawsuit. But if the agreement isn’t worded just right, you may end up with more expense and lost time rather than less …

Workplace attire continues to become more casual

12/01/2006

Nearly half of all U.S. employees wear jeans to work or whatever else is comfortable, according to a new “Dress in the Workplace” poll of 2,198 workers by Yahoo! Hot Jobs and Banana Republic …

Should we require harassment claims be in writing?

12/01/2006

Q. Our new plant manager wants me to revise our sexual harassment policy to require that complaints be in writing. He says this will formalize the procedure and help ensure that only valid complaints are filed. I don’t think this is a good idea. Is it?

Docking employee’s pay for missing laptop

12/01/2006

Q. An employee who recently quit hasn’t returned a company-owned laptop computer worth over $1,000. Can we withhold the value of the computer from the employee’s last paycheck?