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

Policies / Handbooks

Training, strong policies key to keeping workplace harassment-free

01/25/2013
No doubt your company has a sexual harassment policy in place. However, it may have been drafted long ago and may have been long ignored by supervisors and subordinates alike. If you suspect this is the case, it’s time to dust off the document, review it and start making sure all your supervisors and managers take it seriously.

New California rules protect employees’ right to wear religious garb

01/22/2013
The start of the New Year saw the enactment of several new California employment laws, including one that requires accommodation of employees’ religious dress and grooming needs.

Ensure automatic firing policy is understood

01/22/2013
Treating a disabled employee even a little differently than others can spell big trouble. That even applies to seemingly minor differences such as telling one employee in advance about an automatic termination po­­licy, but not informing a disabled employee about the rule.

Can we set different dress codes for each department?

01/17/2013

Q. We are a retail company with about 200 employees. We have six different departments. The supervisors are not agreeing on an overall dress code. They wondered if there’s any legal risk in having each department make and follow its own dress code. (Everyone works in the same office space.) 

How to cope with dope: Marijuana & the Minnesota workplace

01/11/2013
Minnesota employers are stuck in the middle of the battle between state and federal law. The tension may create confusion for employers trying to legally enforce their policies, including drug-free workplace policies.

Do new marijuana laws affect your drug policies?

01/11/2013
Voters in Colorado and Washington state recently approved legalization of marijuana for recreational use, and 17 states have already OK’d medical pot. But take note: Employers—even in those states—can still set strict drug-use policies for their employees.

5 Texas firms ace awards for gay-friendly practices

01/09/2013
Each year the Human Rights Cam­­paign rates Fortune 500 companies on how well they treat lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) employees. Five Texas firms couldn’t have scored any better, earning perfect 100s.

Disaster averted: Make emergency preparedness part of your job

01/09/2013
Hurricane Sandy … the derecho last June … employers must be prepared for a variety of disaster scenarios. Two very practical matters employers must deal with in the aftermath of a disaster: workplace cleanup and paying workers. Federal law affects both.

57 NY firms ace awards for gay-friendly practices

01/09/2013
Each year the Human Rights Cam­­paign rates Fortune 500 companies on how well they treat lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) employees. Fifty-seven New York firms couldn’t have scored any better, earning perfect 100s.

Be prepared to prove employees’ at-will status

01/09/2013
Does your handbook clearly spell out that employees are truly at-will employees? If not, be sure to add language doing so the next time you update your handbook.