Government updates swine flu guidance for businesses
Just a quick note to let everyone know that the federal government has updated its flu guidelines for businesses. Ann Beauchesne at The Cha...
Refusal to take drug test bar workers’ comp retaliation claim
By Jon Hyman
Many companies require employees to submit to drug tests after suffering a workplace injury. The rationale is simple – intoxication is one o...
Do you know? Harassment by a non-employee
By Jon Hyman
Last week, an Orlando, Florida, jury convicted a Pennsylvania tourist of groping Minnie Mouse. Apparently, the man thought it was okay to ...
Papering a personnel file as evidence of retaliation?
By Jon Hyman
When Carolyn Upshaw started filing EEOC charges against her employer, Ford Motor Company, it began to document her on-going performance prob...
WIRTW #91
By Jon Hyman
This week’s tip-of-the-week is courtesy of Rush Nigut’s Rush on Business – get it in writing. A handshake or an oral promise is only as goo...
Can you still be funny at work in a politically correct work?
By Jon Hyman
Today’s HR Daily Advisor, published by BLR, asks the following question: Can You Still Tell a Joke in the Office? Instead of answering that...
Lawsuits over off-the-clock smart phone use ask, “What is work?”
By Jon Hyman
More than two years ago I cautioned that employers who require non-exempt employees to carry Blackberries or other devices that receive work...
Do you know? FMLA fitness-for-duty certifications
By Jon Hyman
In a previous post, I detailed the new FMLA regulation’s eligibility notice and designation notice requirements . The FMLA also has specific...
Bullying versus harassment
By Jon Hyman
It is generally agreed that the anti-discrimination laws do not create a general code of workplace civility. Employees are generally expecte...
WIRTW #90
By Jon Hyman
BLR’s HR Daily Advisor offers 10 tips to avoid employment lawsuit, in two parts – part one and part two . Meanwhile, Jennifer Hays at the...
Know when to fish, know when to cut bait
By Jon Hyman
Justin Barrett, the Boston police officer who was fired for calling Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. a “banana-eating jungle monkey,”...
The importance of handbook disclaimers
By Jon Hyman
Employee handbooks come in all shapes and sizes. For example, some employers have different policies that cover exempt versus non-exempt emp...
Do you know? Mandatory overtime
By Jon Hyman
We should all know that any hours a non-exempt employee works in excess of 40 in any given week must be paid at a premium rate of one and on...
DOL publishes FAQ on furloughs and other reductions in pay and hours worked issues
By Jon Hyman
While the economy is beginning to show signs of slowing turning around, businesses are still turning to employee furloughs and other alterna...
WIRTW #89
By Jon Hyman
This week’s highlighted post is courtesy of Dennis Westlind at World of Work . Dennis brings us a link to an online game, Card Checked: The ...
A short rant, and a lesson on employee appreciation
By Jon Hyman
I’m always happy to answer an email or a phone call from a reader. Yesterday, I received an email from someone asking me a question about so...
Nashville jury rejects associational harassment claim
By Jon Hyman
If a white employee stands up for her black co-workers, and is then ostracized and called racially-charged names because of it, is she entit...
Do you know? Employers can communicate directly with employees’ health care providers for FMLA certifications
By Jon Hyman
The recent changes to the FMLA’s regulations make it that much easier for employers to gather information about the medical need for an empl...
Federal minimum wage increases, but does it matter to Ohio’s employers?
By Jon Hyman
On July 24, the federal minimum wage rate increased to $7.25 per hour. However, as of January 1, 2009, Ohio’s minimum wage raised to $7.30 p...
WIRTW #88
By Jon Hyman
A few weeks ago I cautioned about the dangers that lurk in positive recommendations on LinkedIn . Two of my blogging brethren disagree. Read...