It's been a busy week in the blogosphere. Everyone is back at work, having digested their turkey and probably having started their holiday shopping. So, it is appropriate that we begin our weekly roundup with the following:
Beating the Crowds: Online Shopping at Work?, from HR World, on the monitoring of employees' use of work computers for holiday shopping.
Is the Family Leave Act Too Soft or Too Tough?, from the Wall Street Journal's Career Journal, debating whether the FMLA is too small of a benefit to employees or too big a burden to employers.
Exploring Tough Questions on E-Mail Confidentiality, from Ediscoveryinfo, noting the importance of reminding your employees that e-mails are not confidential. The advice that I always tell people in regards to whether to put something in an email -- if you do not want it read by your boss, shown to a jury, published on the front page of your local newspaper, or seen by your mother, it is probably best not to send it.
Business Week: "Unions: Less Impact and a Lower Profile", from The Union-Free Employer, commenting on the shrinking importance of labor unions in today's business climate.
Layoffs and Reductions in Force: Five Things every HR Generalist should know, from the Pennsylvania Employment Law Blog, giving a rundown of hot-button issues for mass layoffs and reductions in force.
Finally, we started with an issue of importance for the holiday season, and we'll finish with a couple of others:
Employer Liability at Office Holiday Parties - Beyond Sexual Harassment, Part I and Part II, from the Connecticut Employment Law Blog, summarizing the legal issues other than sexual harassment liability that can arise from over-lubricated employees at holiday parties.
For another reason why not to overindulge at the office holiday party:
Cheers!