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

Policies / Handbooks

Non-Minorities can’t sue on basis of minority discrimination

03/01/2008

Good—and somewhat obvious—news: Job applicants who are not members of a protected class can’t sue for discrimination on the basis that an employer’s hiring practices discriminate against minorities …

Wal-Mart faces suit over workplace romance

03/01/2008
A former department manager at the Wal-Mart Distribution Center in Woodland, Clearfield County, is suing the company for gender discrimination after she was fired for having a relationship with an employee …

Answers to your FMLA military leave questions

03/01/2008
On Jan. 28, 2008, President Bush signed into law the first significant amendment to the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993. Because of the significant changes to this important and complex statute, we have provided answers below to the most frequently asked questions regarding the changes to the FMLA …

3 free tools to perk up employee teamwork

03/01/2008

If your organization hasn’t moved beyond “reply all” e-mails as its sole means of online employee interaction, promote any of these three options to spark more interaction and productivity …

10 things HR can do to help their companies go ‘green’

03/01/2008

Everywhere you turn, something or someone is being promoted as “environmentally friendly.” U.S. employers are no different; they’re jumping into all kinds of green practices in a bid to improve their public images, boost employee morale/loyalty and potentially cut costs …

How to enforce a ‘No weapons’ policy

03/01/2008
Q. What does an employer need to do to keep licensed handgun owners from bringing guns onto its premises? …

Too hot to handle? Office romances need careful HR TLC

02/12/2008

Cupid’s arrow eventually flies into every workplace. Risks: Office romances can be disruptive and, even worse, open the door to legal problems. Action: Balance your need to reduce legal risks with a realistic view of employees’ lives. Stay away from trendy "love contracts."

Shoot down the legal threat from camera phones

02/05/2008

Cell phones with camera capabilities can expose your organization to legal problems: privacy claims, trade-secret vulnerabilities, employee theft and more. Used inappropriately, camera phones can violate employee and customer privacy. Your best action: Write, and consistently follow, a camera-phone policy and distribute it periodically.

Goes without saying, but say it anyway: No porn at work

02/01/2008

You would think it’s common sense, but apparently it’s not. While viewing pornography may be perfectly legal in one’s home (with some exceptions, such as that containing images of children), such viewing has absolutely no place at work. The 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals consistently has ruled “the mere presence of pornography in a workplace can alter the ‘status’ of women” and may be objective proof of a hostile environment …

Do you have a ‘No lying’ policy? It could be a legal lifesaver

02/01/2008

If you don’t have one, consider adding a general honesty or misrepresentation clause to your employee handbook. Such a clause can come in handy when you are looking for a solid reason to discharge someone who just isn’t being upfront and honest with the company, but technically may not have violated a specific work rule …