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

Policies / Handbooks

Update your emergency plan with these online tools

09/01/2003
Last month’s blackout in the Northeast proved that company emergency-response plans must prepare for all types of disasters. Here are some online sources to help you review your plan: the Society …

‘Free speech’ no protection to workers

08/01/2003
The next time an employee argues that he has a First Amendment right to say whatever he wants at work, wear a T-shirt with a controversial message or display …

Take extra anti-harassment steps with young staff

08/01/2003
Warning: Courts may view especially young workers differently when it comes to the issue of harassment, affording them more leeway when they fail …

Don’t change benefits without union’s knowledge.

08/01/2003
For more than 30 years, a company sponsored blood donation drives twice a year. Employees could participate during paid work time. But when the com-pany changed its policy, …

Big settlement over dress code will spark scrutiny of uniform law

08/01/2003
Avoid dress-code rules that have no clear business reason or health and safety reason, plus check with your state labor department to see if your state has a pay-for-uniform …

Encouraging diversity: Lessons from Supreme Court’s affirmative-action rulings

08/01/2003
The U.S. Supreme Court’s pivotal rulings in the University of Michigan affirmative action cases this summer provide some direction on how far employers can go …

How to close the door on invasion-of-privacy lawsuits

08/01/2003
Most companies don’t spend a lot of time worrying about their employees’ privacy rights. But they should. Consider this: Privacy lawsuits jumped 300 percent …

Different vacation policies are legal if done fairly

08/01/2003

Q. We are rewriting our vacation pay policy. Currently, we have two categories of hourly employees. Can we offer 10 vacation days after two years to some employees and five days for the same period to other employees? Can we offer different benefits to salaried and hourly employees? —S.P., Washington

Take extra anti-harassment steps with younger workers

08/01/2003
Issue: Courts may hold your harassment-prevention efforts to a higher standard when young workers are involved.
Risk: Big court judgments, ugly PR and damaged morale …

If workers’ ‘free speech’ threatens others, you can ban it

08/01/2003
Issue: Employees wrongly believe the First Amendment protects their comments at work.
Risk: You don’t need to put up with employees who claim their harassment or bias is just “free …