So what’s all the talk about FMLA? (Family and Medical Leave Act) The FMLA entitles eligible employees, employed by a “covered employer”, to take unpaid, job-protected leave for specified family and medical reasons with continuation of group health insurance coverage under the same terms and conditions as if the employee had not taken leave. Should… Read more »
Employee safety is an issue that demands attention. Here, we take a look at Verbal Safety Warnings. How valid are Verbal Safety Warnings? A verbal safety warning is not necessarily sufficient as a disciplinary action if an employee is known to have violated a safety policy or practice. Look at how OSHA cited and the… Read more »
Every company needs to be concerned about Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and potential discrimination issues within their organization. Fair hiring practices are a must, from both ethical and legal perspectives. The U.S. Supreme Court decision in Ricci v. DeStefano shed some light on discriminatory practices in the workforce. This high profile case involved firefighters… Read more »
An employee arrested? Lets face it, when you employ human beings, strange things can happen. Today we look at the difficult situation of having an employee arrested. Here’s the scenario: Bill has been an employee with your company for over three years. Yesterday, he failed to show up for work and failed to call in…. Read more »
Being an HR Professional definitely has its ups and downs! And one of the biggest “downs” is when you need to lay-off or involuntarily terminate someone due to performance, conduct, attendance, etc. It is important to remember that the eyes of other employees will be on you as you end someone’s employment with your company,… Read more »
Downsizing – layoffs – reduction in work forces…all unfortunate realities many companies are facing today as a result of a sagging economy. So how do HR professionals determine which employees go and which stay? First, every organization must create a strategic plan based on business needs that identifies the workers to be laid off or… Read more »
In a recent Ask WorkSource post we dealt with the benefits of companies employing the use of an employee handbook. Generally speaking, employers land on the side of utilizing handbooks to establish policies and procedures and reduce the chances of unintentional discriminatory or illegal behavior. The disadvantages to having a handbook, however, include the threat… Read more »
Employee handbooks have been an area of controversy for quite some time among HR Professionals. Should your company have a handbook that possibly places you in situations loaded with liabilities because no policy manual can be without implied contracts; or should you have a written set of policies and procedures to diminish your overall risk?… Read more »
Employee breaks are often an issue of concern to employees, and employers. The question above, related to employee breaks and Iowa law, was asked by a recipient of our weekly newsletter, so we wanted to share the answers with all of you…. Each state has it’s laws related to the issue. In Iowa, there are… Read more »
Lets face it, workplace stress is a mess! Ever experience headaches within a couple of hours of arriving to work? How about light headedness, back or neck pain, difficulty concentrating, insomnia, worthlessness, reduced productivity, lack of motivation or irritability? All of these are symptoms of stress and may be related to workplace stress. WorkSource offers three… Read more »