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HR Management

You can set rules on when employees take vacation time

07/01/2004
While vacation time is a mainstay of basic benefit packages, employers are not legally required to offer paid vacation to employees. But if you do offer vacation time, don’t be afraid …

You’ll have more time to revamp COBRA notices

07/01/2004
You and your health plan administrator will soon need to provide more specifics on COBRA rights to departing employees, according to final rules published recently by the U.S. Labor Department. The …

Draw staff to your intranet (not your door) for HR basics

07/01/2004
Issue: Your intranet is packed with valuable HR information, but few employees are using it. Benefit: If employees see the intranet, not your office, as the first stop for HR …

Use severance as a hiring tool; more applicants ask

07/01/2004
Issue: Survivors of recent layoffs are asking about severance plans before signing on. Benefit: More than ever, a good severance plan can help lure the best candidates. Action: Trumpet …

Monitor employees’ e-mail, but notify them first

07/01/2004
Issue Employees wrongly assume their e-mail musings are private, privileged communications. Risk: If you don’t eliminate that belief, you’ll open your organization to disputes and lawsuits. Action: Require employees …

Prepare to revamp COBRA notices

07/01/2004
The U.S. Labor Department just published final rules that set new minimum standards for the timing and content of COBRA continuing health insurance notices. The rules, which come with sample notices …

Ramping up hiring? Heed new-hire reporting rules

07/01/2004
Are you reporting your newly hired or rehired employees to the state? Federal and state laws mandate that all employers report certain identifying information about newly hired and rehired employees to …

To cut health costs, weed out ineligible dependents

07/01/2004
Is your health plan covering employees’ adult children, ex-spouses or other relatives? If you don’t know the answer, it may be time for a health plan “participant audit” to help weed …

Can employees harass co-workers in the name of ‘creativity’?

07/01/2004
If your workplace has a “creative” side to it, listen up: A court has ruled for the first time that you can defend a sexual harassment claim by arguing a “creative …

Intentional bias can spur court to install applicant into job.

07/01/2004
A school district hired a man rather than Geraldine Fuhr as varsity boys head basketball coach. While the man had two years of experience, Fuhr had been the varsity girls head …