• The HR Specialist - Print Newsletter
  • HR Specialist: Employment Law
  • The HR Weekly

HR Management

Medication may limit employees’ FMLA reinstatement rights

03/01/2006

What happens if an employee tries to return to work after FMLA leave but isn’t quite recovered? In that case, you can turn the employee away if he or she can’t perform the job’s essential functions. That scenario often plays out when the returning employee’s job involves operating machinery or driving and the person must take medication …

Fighting a unionization effort: do’s and don’ts

03/01/2006

Union membership has fallen dramatically in recent decades, but the labor movement is far from dead. The biggest change: In 2005, the breakaway "Change to Win" movement seized control over one-third of the powerful AFL-CIO’s unions. Change to Win lured the unions away by promising to shift the focus from political activism to organizing as many U.S. employers as possible. Is your business next? …

Beware of a growing risk: harassment by customers

03/01/2006

Too many employers think harassment is a problem only when it’s an employee-on-employee thing. Recent court rulings prove that you can be held liable even when outsiders harass your employees. Taking action may cost you a customer, but courts say defending employees must come first …

Plan Ahead for Take-the-Kids-to-Work Day: April 27

03/01/2006

Annually, the fourth Thursday in April (April 27 this year) is Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day, hosted by the Ms. Foundation for Women. To head off requests and confusion about whether/when the kids can come, establish some ground rules …

Mandatory Off-Site Counseling Sessions May Be Paid ‘Work Time’

03/01/2006

If you require hourly employees to attend counseling or training workshops outside normal working hours as a condition of employment, you may need to pay employees for those hours. You may also need to pay the employees’ travel time, too …

6 common mistakes made during investigations, training

03/01/2006

Are your anti-harassment efforts legally bulletproof, or are they full of holes? Probably somewhere in between, if you’re like most employers. Here are six holes that need patching in many employers’ training and investigation practices …

Capture knowledge from key people before they exit

03/01/2006

Your organization could lose critical knowledge if certain employees leave. Yet, top management often hesitates to address that risk. By taking steps to capture "at risk" information, you build a stronger organization … and boost your own standing …

EAP phone therapy is legit, but choose vendors wisely

03/01/2006

EAP-provided telephone counseling is controversial but becoming more common. Still, quality varies among vendors. Screen potential teletherapy providers carefully using the following six questions …

EEOC restructuring may lead to more job bias lawsuits

02/01/2006

The EEOC last month began repositioning its field office structure, aiming to enhance its enforcement presence and improve customer service. The agency will reduce the number of managers in its field offices and increase front-line staffing for investigations …

New CDC resources help you plan for potential flu pandemic

02/01/2006

If the avian flu currently circulating in chicken flocks in Asia mutates into a highly contagious human form, the consequences could be catastrophic. The Centers for Disease Control is urging private businesses to establish contingency plans …