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Policies / Handbooks

Draft severance agreements to prevent future lawsuits

10/30/2013
Have a lawyer draft any release that accompanies a severance payment. If the employee sues and the release was carefully written, the court will probably say it bars suing—and may require repaying severance money before the worker can even try challenging the release’s validity.

Save money upon termination by including ‘use it or lose it’ leave policy in handbook

10/30/2013
Here’s another reason your hand­­book must include clear, concise and specific explanations of vacation and other leave policies: By carefully explaining that em­­ployees who quit forfeit unused leave, you won’t have to pay them for that un­­used time under the North Caro­­lina Wage and Hour Act.

What are the limits on employee monitoring?

10/29/2013
Q. How would an employer legally go about monitoring employees in the workplace?

Employer restrictions on guns in California workplaces

10/29/2013
This month, we’ll examine several questions about how far employers can go toward prohibiting employees from bringing guns to work.

Personal cellphone: Must we pay if it’s used for work?

10/21/2013
Q. An employee uses his own smartphone to access company email and conduct work from home. The work is on his own initiative—it’s not required, but we’re aware of it. Are we obligated to pay any portion of his monthly bill?

Better late than never? No! These tips help tackle tardiness

10/18/2013
Employees who are chronically tardy can cause just as many problems as those who don’t show up at all. Use these tips when counseling a chronically late employee:

Does Minnesota’s smoking ban law include employees’ use of ‘e-cigarettes’?

10/10/2013
Q. We have a no-smoking policy that complies with Minnesota’s smoking ban. A number of employees have asked if our policy applies to electronic cigarettes or “e-cigarettes.” We are not sure what to tell them. Must we ban the use of the e-cigarettes in the workplace? Are we allowed to if we want to?

4-point checklist clarifies open enrollment

10/10/2013
With key pieces of health care reform going into effect, employers that offer health benefits have even more to consider when implementing this year’s open enrollment. Make the most of your annual benefits sign-up by following this checklist.

The NLRB invalidates employer’s confidentiality rule

10/10/2013
Employers have long believed that they could restrict access to information about wages and benefits so employees couldn’t discuss pay rates, raises and so on. If that’s the case at your workplace, check with your attorney. The prohibition may run afoul of the NLRA, which covers the right to unionize.

Develop foolproof plan for taking uncertainty out of ambiguous resignations

10/10/2013
Not sure what to do when it seems as if an employee is going to quit, but she doesn’t explicitly say so? Seek clarification. If you get none, tell her you assume her silence is tantamount to a resignation.