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HR Management

Should you create an ‘alumni’ Web site for former staff?

03/01/2005
Issue: Establishing a Web site that acts as an online home for your organization’s former employees.
Benefit: Such alumni sites help you recruit former employees (boomerangs), generate referrals and build …

Review workplace treatment of Hispanic employees

03/01/2005
Reason: The federal government is reaching out to Hispanic people to make them more aware of their workplace rights. Latest effort: The EEOC launched a new Spanish-language version of its Web …

Show how HR helps forward the big boss’s goals

03/01/2005
Issue: Learn the top brass’s priorities, and then match them up with your HR projects.
Benefit: By showing how your work helps the big bosses meet their goals, you become …

New motivation to complete your EEO-1 paperwork

03/01/2005
If you’re required to file an annual EEO-1 form, don’t let the task slip: The EEOC can get tough with companies that shrug off this duty. Example: The EEOC filed a …

Never sign HR documents for employees

03/01/2005
As part of his age-bias lawsuit, James Halloran claimed that his employer’s HR director signed Halloran’s signature to the bottom of a negative performance review. At trial, the company admitted to …

Warn managers: no ‘one-sided’ socializing

03/01/2005
Supervisors may naturally feel more comfortable with employees from one gender or the other. But, as a new court ruling shows, it’s important to counsel supervisors never to hold members of …

Can you limit employees’ time to file suit?

03/01/2005
An employee’s ability to sue your organization expires at different times under various employment laws. For example, in most states, employees can file sexual harassment lawsuits within 300 days of the …

Don’t impose grooming rules that weigh heavier on one gender

03/01/2005
Courts usually allow you to set grooming policies or appearance standards, particularly for employees who deal directly with customers. Just make sure you apply your rules evenhandedly across your work force. …

Cite Return-to-Work Tests in Drug/Alcohol Policy

03/01/2005

Q. One of our employees was recently in jail for traffic and drug violations. Before he returns to work, what guidelines can we follow to ensure that he’s drug-free? Will we be discriminating if we require a drug test before allowing him back on site, even though we didn’t require this test when he was hired? —M.Z., Washington

Use an ‘accuracy statement’ to sniff out applicants’ lies

03/01/2005
Issue: Creating a legal basis to reject (or fire) people who lie on their job applications.
Benefit: Providing a “statement of accuracy” on applications gives you strong legal standing against …