Policies / Handbooks

Investigate harassment, even if victim is hesitant

09/01/2004

Q. We’re afraid that one of our employees may have been subjected to discriminatory behavior. But she hasn’t filed a complaint. What should we do? Do we have an obligation to bring it up and investigate even if she declines? —S.P., Louisiana

Accommodate group prayer if it won’t cause ‘Hardship’

09/01/2004

Q. A group of our employees met during their break to have group prayer. A supervisor complained to our president, who instructed that we should notify employees that they can’t pray on break time. Nor can they pray during lunch unless they leave the building. Some employees are upset. Is this policy legal? —M.S., California

Sniff out suspicious FMLA requests with this 9-step plan

09/01/2004

Issue: Half of all HR professionals say they’ve approved FMLA requests that they believed weren’t legitimate. Risk: Employees who “work” the system to earn …

Should you take on OSHA as a partner?

09/01/2004

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) offers several avenues for employers to establish alliances with the agency. Possible benefits …

New reason to tighten promotion process

08/01/2004

Can employees sue your organization for failing to promote them to jobs they never even applied for? It seems crazy, but it could be true. Courts are increasingly opening a backdoor …

Don’t let office romance poison workplace; third parties can sue

08/01/2004

Legal threats from interoffice romance typically come from harassment claims if the relationship sours. But here comes a new threat: employees who claim a “hostile environment” when favoritism caused by another …

Base light-duty policy on business necessity; enforce it consistently

08/01/2004

Employers are very leery about firing pregnant employees, and rightly so. But don’t let your lawsuit fears paralyze you from taking legal, appropriate actions.
In short, federal law requires that …

Violent reaction from boss may trigger retaliation lawsuit

08/01/2004

If workers want to bring retaliation lawsuits against their employers, they must prove they suffered an “adverse employment action,” such as being fired, threatened or denied a promotion. But a court …

Monitor safety risks more closely during summer

08/01/2004

More employers are adopting a popular summertime perk: closing early (or even shutting down) on Fridays during summer. More than a quarter of companies polled by Hewitt Associates have turned to …

Protecting trade secrets: Loose lips sink your legal defense

08/01/2004

THE LAW. Today’s definition of trade secrets encompasses any information, technical or nontechnical, that your organization has reasonably protected and is valuable enough to give you an actual or potential …