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Policies / Handbooks

Check your FMLA policy: Does it comply with new leave expansions?

05/04/2011
Congressional actions often grab the headlines, but recent executive branch moves have subtly expanded those who qualify for leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act. Make it a point to regularly review your FMLA policy to ensure it is up-to-date and complies with the latest laws, court decisions and Department of Labor regulations and interpretations.

NLRB presses first case involving Twitter posts

05/03/2011
Employees have the right to discuss working conditions, whether face-to-face around the water cooler or in the online world. The National Labor Relations Board seems intent on making sure employers understand that social media posts are protected, too. Hot on the heels of a decision involving Facebook, the NLRB is now tackling Twitter. Tip: Time for you to develop a social media policy.

4 ways to make telework work

05/03/2011
More than 33 million Americans now work remotely at least one day per month, according to the nonprofit WorldatWork. Here’s how work-from-home arrangements operate in organizations nationwide, according to a recent survey. Plus, learn what managers must do to make the most of their teleworking staff members.

Enforce e-mail usage rules–if only to avoid PR nightmare

05/03/2011
If you let employees ignore reasonable restrictions on how they use company e-mail and other communications tools, you may find yourself having to scramble to prevent embarrassing information from becoming public.

Can our substance-abuse policy also apply to out-of-town travel?

04/28/2011
Q. Our drug and alcohol policy states: “While on company premises and while conducting business for the company off premises, no employee may use, possess, distribute, sell or be under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs.” Some of our staff asked if this also applies to them when they travel or attend out-of-town seminars at hotels. Does our policy still hold up in this situation?

Jehovah’s Witness gets last ‘ho ho ho’ in Belk case

04/25/2011
The Belk department store chain has agreed to pay a former employee $55,000 to settle her religious discrimination suit. The employee, a practicing Jehovah’s Witness, was fired after she refused to wear a Santa hat during the store’s Christmas promotions.

Take hard line on workplace violence threats

04/25/2011

Some employees think nothing of threatening their co-workers. Most employers disagree and aggressively move to stop such harassment. Courts are on the employers’ side: They’ll seldom second-guess a decision to fire the culprit.

Double-check employee ID records! No-match letters are back

04/19/2011
After a three-year hiatus, the Social Security Administration has resumed sending no-match letters to employers, alerting them when employees’ Social Security numbers don’t correspond to numbers in the SSA’s database. Because the feds have offered no guidance on what no-match letters mean these days, experts fear confusion for employers.

U.S. trails the world on paid maternity leave

04/14/2011
You can count the number of nations lacking a definitive law providing paid maternity leave on one hand—and still have two fingers left over. Guess what. One is the United States. That’s what Human Rights Watch found when it studied family leave practices worldwide.

How to ensure your employee handbook supports FMLA compliance

04/12/2011
Employers are free to develop their own policies, but many laws have an absolute mandate—you must ensure employees receive proper notice of your policies. That’s why the FMLA section of your handbook is so important. Here’s your roadmap to full compliance with the FMLA’s notification requirements.