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HR Management

To keep noncompetes legal, include fair restrictions

06/01/2004
Issue: Noncompete agreements are more easily signed than enforced. Risk: One sure way to crush your noncompete’s legality is to include overly restrictive time and geographical limits. Action: Make …

Federal contractors: Post ‘Beck’ notice in workplace

06/01/2004
The Labor Department issued final rules last month requiring federal contractors to post notices that inform employees of certain union rights under the Supreme Court’s Communi-cation Workers v. Beck case. Essen-tially, …

Camera phones at work: Shoot down this latest legal threat

06/01/2004
Camera phones now make up more than 4 percent of all worldwide cell phone sales. By 2007, more than half of all cell phones will be equipped with cameras, and cell …

Don’t accept 401(k) fees; renegotiate annually

06/01/2004
Issue: Competition remains tight among 401(k) providers, federal scrutiny is rising, and the stock market is trending up. Benefit: You’ll enjoy improved negotiating clout …

Crank up volume on ‘no music piracy’ message to staff

06/01/2004
Issue: The recording industry is increasing the legal heat on illegal downloads, and the businesses that allow it to occur at work. Risks: Musicians can sue for up to $150,000 …

Notify employees if tracking them via GPS

06/01/2004
A small but growing number of employers use global positioning systems (GPS) to track employees. By 2006, most new cars will include GPS systems, as will cell phones. Advice: You already …

Hiring drivers? Collect more background information

06/01/2004
Organizations that hire commercial drivers must now collect, and provide to other employers, more details from their driver applicants.
Reason: The U.S. Transportation Department’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) …

Interviewing: Sharpen skills to stamp out hiring bias

06/01/2004
THE LAW. Job interviews are a legal minefield for HR people and managers. Your questions must avoid stepping on federal and state equal employment laws that ban discrimination on the basis …

Preserve at-will rights by ditching your employee probation period

06/01/2004
If your employee handbook or job-offer letters say new hires will face a 60- or 90-day probation period, you should consider dropping that policy or, at the very least, referring to …

Don’t write wishy-washy policies that make it hard for staff to comply

06/01/2004
Your employment policies should never leave employees guessing about how they must comply.
That’s why it’s vital to use concrete terms in your
policies that discuss employee behaviors and …