Policies / Handbooks

Bulletproof anti-harassment policy by ensuring employees know how to lodge their complaints

11/29/2010

It’s been over a decade since the U.S. Supreme Court laid down the law on what employers need to do to prevent and cure sexual harassment. That’s long enough for complacency to have set in. By now, some employers may have started taking sexual harassment less seriously than they did when the court first ruled. That’s a potentially costly mistake.

Investigations: You can (and should) demand silence from all participants

11/26/2010

Water-cooler talk about alleged discrimination or harassment can poison a workplace. That’s why your company policy should require all participants in investigations (including witnesses) to keep quiet about the issue. That way, rumors and exaggerated claims won’t influence other employees who haven’t yet told investigators their side of the story.

Can our harassment policy penalize false claims?

11/19/2010

Q. Can we implement a provision on our sexual harassment policy that imposes discipline on employees who bring false harassment claims?

Is it really a policy if it’s not in your handbook?

11/16/2010

One reason employers have handbooks is to protect themselves from surprise allegations of harassment. Without a handbook, they are left with having to show that employees knew how to complain. That’s tough if there’s no documentation that you told them how.

Despite recent 8th Circuit ruling, stamp out ‘equal-opportunity harassment’ to keep harmony

11/11/2010

Here’s some food for thought: Failing to stop an employee from harassing women and men alike may be legally acceptable, but is probably still ill-advised. An employer that allows such conduct may escape legal liability, but that tolerance may make the workplace unattractive to good employees. Plus, it probably won’t be as productive as it would be with good anti-harassment policies in place.

EEOC issues final GINA regulations

11/09/2010

The EEOC has just issued final regulations implementing the Genetic Information Non-Discrimination Act (GINA), the federal law that makes it illegal for employers to use genetic information to make decisions about health insurance and employment. Download the final regs here, and then use them as the basis for reviewing your wellness program and other work processes that might violate GINA.

Planning for the worst: Implementing a workplace violence policy

11/08/2010

You can’t predict the behavior of your employees, clients and all their associates. You can’t anticipate every possible danger. But the law dictates that you, as the employer, have a “duty of care” to keep all individuals in your workplace safe from dangers you can reasonably anticipate. To do that, you need to evaluate potential dangers and formulate an appropriate action plan.

No employee handbook or written policy? Good luck proving you take harassment seriously

11/05/2010

It’s time to review and revise your employee handbook

11/01/2010

Make this your New Year’s resolution: Go through your employee handbook to make sure all the information is accurate and up-to-date, reflects how your organization really does business and fully complies with the law. It’s important to regularly review and revise employee handbooks because having an out-of-date handbook may be more dangerous than not having one at all.

Rejected Sikh seeks damages

10/29/2010

Tri-County Lexus of Totowa faces religious discrimination charges after it refused to hire a Sikh applicant because he refused to shave his beard.