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Training

When is employee insubordination protected?

12/01/2005
Issue: If an employee believes a boss’s order is illegal, she can refuse to do it. And you can’t punish her for that defiance.
Risk: You could run afoul of …

Look into all bias complaints; even ‘nontargets’ can sue

12/01/2005
Issue: Employees who are negatively affected by workplace discrimination can file lawsuits, even if they aren’t the targets.
Risk: The EEOC is encouraging such whistle-blower suits, which opens a new …

Use safety as a recruiting tool; learn from the best

11/01/2005
Issue: Safety-conscious companies look beyond the bottom line.
Benefit: In addition to reducing costs and boosting morale, safety can be promoted as a recruiting tool to applicants.
Action: Reduce …

Employees can disobey bias-tainted orders

10/01/2005
When an employee refuses to carry out an order, supervisors may automatically think such insubordination is worthy of discipline or firing. Not so fast! That initial response, punish the employee, may …

Don’t drag your feet on employees’ accommodation requests

10/01/2005
Some problems will eventually go away if you wait long enough. But that’s not the attitude to take when employees request workplace accommodations for their physical or mental conditions.
The …

Teach managers how to handle staff returning from injury

10/01/2005
Issue: Employees who return from injury leave may or may not be covered under the ADA.
Risk: By treating employees as if they’re “disabled” (even if they’re not), supervisors create …

Using insensitive nicknames can spell bias

10/01/2005
Issue: Some supervisors, particularly males, try to bond with employees by giving them nicknames.
Risk: When nicknames are insensitive to a protected class (race, ethnicity, etc.), they could trigger hostile-environment …

Prepare for a bigger role in Sarbanes-Oxley compliance

10/01/2005
Issue: Sarbanes-Oxley’s focus on HR requires you to do more to help your organization comply.
Benefit: Helping your organization meet SarbOx mandates enhances your role as a strategic partner.
…

Background check isn’t enough; tight supervision keeps liability at bay

09/01/2005
Your organization can be held liable for “negligent hiring” if an employee commits a crime and you could have (or should have) prevented it. That’s why it’s crucial to run background …

Don’t shrug off complaints of female-on-male harassment

09/01/2005
If a male employee complains about sexually harassing comments by a female co-worker, how would your supervisors respond?
Too often, bosses (and some HR professionals) laugh off such “reverse” harassment …