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HR Management

Choose top training videos with the aid of online ‘critics’

06/01/2005
Issue: You need to occasionally buy training videos/DVDs, but thousands exist and the quality varies greatly.
Benefit: Using a reputable rating service can help you sort out the “Citizen Kanes” …

Dropped your drug testing? You’re not alone

06/01/2005
Workplace drug testing’s popularity has gradually fallen since peaking in 1996, when 81 percent of employers surveyed by the American Management Association (AMA) said they tested. By 2004, that percentage had …

Tighten policy to foil new identity-theft risks

06/01/2005
If your organization hasn’t taken identity theft seriously, here are two good reasons to start now: Starting June 1, federal law requires you to properly dispose
of employee background-check information …

Tighten your record-disposal policy, starting this month

06/01/2005
Issue: Beginning June 1, a new federal law requires you to properly dispose of personally identifiable background-check data.
Risk: One mistake can result in actual damages, up to a $2,500 …

You can obtain blanket consent for employee credit reports at any time

06/01/2005
Before you seek consumer credit or background reports on applicants, you must obtain their written consent and give them a clearly written disclosure form.
But what about when you investigate …

Feds launch crackdown on employers who defy safety rules

06/01/2005
The Bush administration has begun a multiagency effort to hunt down and prosecute the most flagrant violators of workplace safety.
Currently, workplace safety violations typically avoid criminal prosecution, even when …

Cut costs by challenging requests for intermittent FMLA leave

06/01/2005

Employees are becoming well versed in the FMLA game, and you’re paying the price.
Proof: Unscheduled intermittent FMLA leave now accounts for a sizable portion of all FMLA leave, says …

Expect employees to use up their vacation time this year

06/01/2005
Unused vacation time is common. In 2004, the average U.S. employee forfeited three vacation days, up from two days in 2003, says an Expedia.com survey.
But the tide may be …

Encourage employee language skills the legally safe way

06/01/2005
Nearly half of employers say they make employee diversity a competitive selling point for their organizations, according to a new Novations survey of 1,780 HR execs and senior managers.
Still, …

Deduct Vacation Leave if Sick-Leave Bank Is Empty

06/01/2005

Q. If an employee is out sick but has already used up all her sick-leave hours, can we legally subtract from her vacation time instead? —K.P., Michigan