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HR Management

Background check isn’t enough; tight supervision keeps liability at bay

09/01/2005
Your organization can be held liable for “negligent hiring” if an employee commits a crime and you could have (or should have) prevented it. That’s why it’s crucial to run background …

Don’t shrug off complaints of female-on-male harassment

09/01/2005
If a male employee complains about sexually harassing comments by a female co-worker, how would your supervisors respond?
Too often, bosses (and some HR professionals) laugh off such “reverse” harassment …

Don’t make ex-Employees pay training costs

09/01/2005

Q. We’ve started requiring employees to repay the company (through payroll deduction) for training costs if they quit or are fired within one year. Are we OK legally? —S.M., Kentucky

Stay distant from voluntary-benefits vendors

08/01/2005
There are many upsides to offering voluntary benefits such as long-term care insurance, prepaid legal services and pet insurance. However, if you link such programs too closely with your regular benefit plan, your organization could incur liability. Here are three ways to keep your distance.

Always verify FMLA eligibility before approving leave

08/01/2005
Issue: Courts won’t look kindly on employers that OK an employee’s FMLA leave but then change their minds.
Risk: In such cases, courts could grant FMLA rights even if the …

Adapt technology to disabled staff … within your means

08/01/2005
Issue: Various new technologies allow disabled people to be productive at work.
Risk: Courts say employers must provide such adaptive technologies in line with their resources.
Action: Here’s how …

Warn travelers to look for hotel-bill mistakes

08/01/2005
A remarkable 11.6 percent of hotel invoices include billing mistakes, resulting in U.S. travelers’ overpaying for rooms by a half-billion dollars each year, according to Wichita-based Corporate Lodging Consultants. On average, …

Apply now for a ‘dot-jobs’ recruiting Web address

08/01/2005
You can now simplify your online recruiting process by registering for an Internet address that ends in “.jobs.” The .jobs domain was approved earlier this year and SHRM announced that registration …

Benchmark your recruiting site: 4 questions to ask

08/01/2005
Issue: Your Web site’s “Career” page is the first (or only) experience that many potential applicants have with your organization.
Risk: Blow this opportunity, as many do, and those star …

Don’t let e-mail mistakes kill your attorney/client privilege

08/01/2005
Issue: Protect your right to keep communications between the organization and its attorney secret.
Risk: By misdirecting e-mail messages meant for your attorney, you can wipe out that attorney/client privilege. …