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Policies / Handbooks

Require hands-free phone usage in company vehicles

07/01/2005
Issue: More states are placing restrictions on when drivers (and which drivers) can use wireless devices while driving.
Risk: Your organization may be liable when distracted employees on cell phones …

Banning male employees’ long hair is OK

07/01/2005

Q. Can we require male employees’ hair be a certain length, or is that discrimination? Also, can we say male employees can’t have beards? —C.H., Illinois

Tighten policy to foil new identity-theft risks

06/01/2005
If your organization hasn’t taken identity theft seriously, here are two good reasons to start now: Starting June 1, federal law requires you to properly dispose
of employee background-check information …

You can obtain blanket consent for employee credit reports at any time

06/01/2005
Before you seek consumer credit or background reports on applicants, you must obtain their written consent and give them a clearly written disclosure form.
But what about when you investigate …

Feds launch crackdown on employers who defy safety rules

06/01/2005
The Bush administration has begun a multiagency effort to hunt down and prosecute the most flagrant violators of workplace safety.
Currently, workplace safety violations typically avoid criminal prosecution, even when …

Cut costs by challenging requests for intermittent FMLA leave

06/01/2005

Employees are becoming well versed in the FMLA game, and you’re paying the price.
Proof: Unscheduled intermittent FMLA leave now accounts for a sizable portion of all FMLA leave, says …

Expect employees to use up their vacation time this year

06/01/2005
Unused vacation time is common. In 2004, the average U.S. employee forfeited three vacation days, up from two days in 2003, says an Expedia.com survey.
But the tide may be …

Encourage employee language skills the legally safe way

06/01/2005
Nearly half of employers say they make employee diversity a competitive selling point for their organizations, according to a new Novations survey of 1,780 HR execs and senior managers.
Still, …

Deduct Vacation Leave if Sick-Leave Bank Is Empty

06/01/2005

Q. If an employee is out sick but has already used up all her sick-leave hours, can we legally subtract from her vacation time instead? —K.P., Michigan

Employee moonlighting: Should you ban it?

06/01/2005
Issue: One in 20 employees moonlights, and a hot labor market offers employees in your shop new opportunities to work second jobs.
Risk: Moonlighting can create tired, distracted employees, plus …