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Policies / Handbooks

Trade-Secret clauses aren’t necessary for all workers

09/01/2000

Q. To protect my business’s trade secrets, do I need to have all my employees sign employment contracts that include a trade-secret clause? —K.R., Michigan

Don’t rely on written policy to prevent harassment

09/01/2000

Q. Our company is considering anti-harassment training for all employees. Some individuals are concerned that it will stir up lawsuits. Do you recommend such training? —J.R., Maine

You can be liable for worker’s online slur

08/01/2000
After Tammy Blakey sued Continental Airlines for sexual harassment, her co-workers used an online bulletin board to post derogatory gender-based messages …

Be wary of firing employees for aggressive union organizing

08/01/2000
John Ramirez’s union asked him to apply for a welder’s job to help organize the workers. He got the job and quickly started rallying support for a union bid. But …

Whistle-blowers protected even if they defy complaint process

08/01/2000
Barbara Fleming, a nurse at a women’s prison, complained to her direct supervisor that other employees were providing inmates medication under expired prescriptions. When her oral complaint got no response, …

Make managers aware of potential personal liability

08/01/2000
Want to get your managers to take sexual harassment claims seriously? Here’s how one human resources director does it: He begins each training session …

EEOC: Explain policies in workers’ native language

08/01/2000
To ensure your workers understand your anti-discrimination policy, translate it and then sit down and explain it to them. Insiders say the …

Beware of Restrictions on Right to Fire at Will

08/01/2000

Q. I would like to fire an employee who is unpleasant to work with. We simply don’t “click.” Do I have to have cause to terminate him? —A.C., Virginia

Put reasonable limits on who can take complaints

07/01/2000
Two female supermarket employees complained to a district manager that their store manager had sexually harassed them. The district manager promptly …

Allowing public access adds new duty to accommodate disabled

07/01/2000
The Twentieth Century Fox production lot in Los Angeles includes many conveniences, including a commissary, store and automatic teller machine. However, Les Jankey …