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

Policies / Handbooks

5 policy tips for managing workplace romance

01/31/2023
Whether co-worker relationships develop on the shop floor or over Zoom, they pose the same risks for HR professionals charged with maintaining workplace harmony and limiting legal liability.

Protect your company with a sound termination policy

01/18/2023
Terminating employees, particularly involuntarily, is a part of the job that most business owners and HR managers dread. Firing or laying off staff members is a tough decision, but it sometimes needs to be done due to misconduct or business changes. And when it does, it’s vital to have a legally sound termination policy in place.

Remote worker checklist: Ensure your company has essential policies in place

01/04/2023
While remote work has skyrocketed in the past few years, many companies still need to institute a telecommuting policy. This is crucial, according to Anniken Davenport, Esq., an HR Specialist legal contributor.

Follow these key FMLA intermittent leave call-off rules

01/04/2023
Managing employees authorized to take FMLA on an intermittent basis can be a massive headache. You never know when the employee will call off work. But disciplining the employee for missing work can backfire. Here’s how to create call-off rules that comply with the law.

Appeals court: Federal contractors don’t have to ensure their employees are vaccinated

12/22/2022
In a 2-1 decision, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court’s preliminary injunction blocking a federal mandate requiring federal contractors to ensure their employees are vaccinated against COVID as a condition of receiving government work.

Manage workplace politics in or out of election season

12/21/2022
Politics are always with us nowadays. When tensions are high, it is essential to keep a respectful workplace, whether or not it’s voting season.

Montana judge strikes down vaccine discrimination

12/21/2022
Montana’s state law prohibited employers from inquiring about vaccination status, including whether a worker or applicant was vaccinated against COVID-19, mumps, measles or other diseases.

Harassment: Here’s why you want to make reporting it easy

12/20/2022
It is vital to encourage employees to report anything they think could be classified as sexual, racial or other harassment. Make reporting easy, offering multiple complaint avenues. Instruct supervisors and managers to say something if they see something.

The elections are over. Now it’s time to update your HR policies

12/15/2022
The result of November’s mid-term elections means a split Congress. This will make it difficult for legislation to pass. Thus, no drastic changes are expected, according to counsel at McMahon Berger, P.C. in St. Louis. But counsel at the firm, Stephen B. Maule and Timothy W. Bubenik, outlined several issues for which employers should prepare.

Medical cannabis bill is back in Louisiana

12/15/2022
Veterans and first responders who use medical cannabis should be shielded from workplace discrimination, urge some military members and first responders in Louisiana. Last year, a bill to do just that failed in the state legislature. It’s back this session.