You’re the Expert: What should our company be doing to prevent identity theft?
We have a lot of personal information on our customers and, of course, on all of our employees. What should our company be doing to prevent identity theft?
Archives
Handbooks: How Do We Handle Handbook Revisions?
We’re working on revising our handbook, and the process has turned up a few questions. What procedure should we use to distribute the changes? Anything special we need to keep in mind when we do this? We’re planning some significant changes. Do we need to remind our people of our policies on some schedule (e.g., […]
Exemptions: When We Move an Employee from Full- to Half-Time, Is the Person Still Exempt?
We have an exempt worker who is going to reduce her hours by half. She currently makes $54,000 a year, and we agreed to just cut that in half. We have other employees who will take over parts of her tasks. She knows she will lose her health benefits. But what about vacation, sick time, […]
Harassment: What Does the Recent “Spanking” Lawsuit Teach Us About Where Fun Ends and Harassment Begins?
The recent “spanking” lawsuit—where the “all-in-good-fun” spanking ended up with an expensive lawsuit—has got us thinking. We like our employees to enjoy themselves at work. How do we draw the line between fun, jokes, and good-natured teasing, and sexual—or other—harassment? — Gretchen, HR Manager in Morro Bay
Hiring: What Sort of Screening Should We Do for Various Employees?
We want to standardize our procedures for doing pre-employment background checks. What guidelines should we set up for which applicants get which checks? For example, who gets a criminal background check? Motor vehicle? Credentials verification? What do you recommend? — Ronald L., Office Manager in Chico
Disaster Pay: What Happens When We Have to Close?
In the wake of recent disasters, we have realized that we don’t have good policies for dealing with pay during emergencies. For example, what if we have to close because of a power blackout? Also, the few times we’ve closed in the past, some people who lived close by came in anyway. The people who […]