Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
After discussing discipline with an employee, we always ask the person to sign the disciplinary form so there is a record that we talked with the employee about the issue. Quite often, the person refuses to sign. What do we do if an employee sues us someday? Would a court accept a document that has […]
My love of “The Office” causes me to lament these weeks where we don’t get a new episode (or even repeat) to enjoy. But while I certainly miss my weekly dose of Michael and gang, I need not look further than our very own United States Supreme Court to provide us with more scintillating material […]
Starting July 1, it will be illegal in California to drive while using a cell phone, unless the phone is equipped with a hands-free device. Also as of July 1, teens under age 18 can’t drive while using a cell phone—even using a hands-free device. Teens also can’t drive while using any other mobile service […]
Employment law editor Michael Maslanka reviews the book Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler. Review highlights tactics in book for effective communication between supervisors and employees. Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High‘s big idea: There are tactics you can […]
Everyone agrees that supervisors need to document their HR actions, but many have writers’ block. Just remember, says attorney Jonathan Segal, you didn’t hire them for this skill. Here are common mistakes, and ideas for doing it better. The hardest part of writing a discipline memo is writing the first sentence, so give your supervisors […]
By Donovan Plomp McCarthy Tetrault When employees are terminated in Canada, unless they have been fired for “cause” (such as theft) employers have an obligation to provide common law “reasonable notice” of termination or pay in lieu of reasonable notice. Unless the amount of reasonable notice is clearly set out in an employment agreement, it […]
There’s not much more annoying than FMLA medical certification. You finally get the employee to turn it in, and it’s useless: “May need to stay home sometimes” or “Employee shouldn’t lift too much.” What to do! In Yesterday’s Advisor, we talked about new challenges posed by the FMLA. Today we tackle one of the most […]
An employee’s ex-spouse calls me when she needs a new insurance card, forms, etc., for their child rather than contacting the insurance company or her ex. I’m tired of being put in the middle and feel this is something that should be handled between the two individuals. If she had a problem with an issue […]
In every issue, we take one reader’s question and ask our other readers to weigh in. Here’s what you had to say about a recent question:
Many of our employees believe that their married co-worker—I’ll call him “Bob”—is having a romantic relationship with a woman who cleans our offices. This woman works for a cleaning company we’ve hired to come in three times a week. I’ve received complaints about their public displays of affection (although I’m not sure about the details) […]