Tag: Job Descriptions

Physical, Mental, and Environmental Requirements—Dangerous to Ignore

Pinning down physical and environmental requirements for job descriptions is annoying—but it means reduced hassles in hiring, and reduced appearances in court. Even though they seem obvious to you, (and maybe you think they should be obvious to anyone), the requirements need to be in writing on the job description. Deal with the issue up […]

Happy New Year—It’s Time for the Dullest Job in HR

In HR, sometimes the dullest jobs are the most important. Even HR has essential functions, and one of them is updating job descriptions. It’s not exactly the thrilling part of HR, but it can’t be overlooked. It’s the beginning of the new year—bite the bullet. No HR manager has time to just sit down and […]

Benefits and Pitfalls of Electronic Recordkeeping

In yesterday’s Advisor, attorney Catherine Gray covered the basics of electronic recordkeeping; today, its benefits and pitfalls, a warning about shadow records, plus help with the most basic records of all—job descriptions. Gray, an associate in the Hartford, Connecticut office of Robinson and Cole LLP, delivered her remarks at BLR’s National Employment Law Update recent, […]

Don’t Become the Next Wage/Hour Target

As more and more employers get slapped with wage and hour lawsuits that often challenge exempt classification, it’s becoming critical for employers to take a close look at their own operations and policies to determine what they can do to keep from becoming the next target. Below are some audit tips from attorney Kurt A. […]

Unsupportable Requirements in Job Description Doom Defense

Yesterday’s Advisor detailed job description horror stories. In today’s issue, another story, and an introduction to an extraordinary collection of job descriptions, written for you and ready to go. Unsupportable Requirements in the Job Description You don’t hire Susie for the shipping department job because the job description requires the ability to lift 80 pounds […]

How a Bad Job Description Lost an Airtight Case, and Other Horror Stories

We don’t often think of the lowly job description and horror stories in the same breath, but job description mistakes can cost dearly when the lawsuits are filed. Here’s what might happen when job descriptions aren’t accurate and up to date: Failed to Define Essential Functions One of the most common failures of job descriptions […]

9 Things You Don’t Want to Have to Admit in Court

Many times, the easiest way to train managers about HR issues is to ask them to imagine themselves on the witness stand. When they realize what they will have to admit to, they learn fast. “I fired him for no reason” This is the statement that “at-will believers” will have to make on the witness […]

Is It HR’s Job to Encourage Employee Complaints?

Yes, HR does want to encourage employee complaints. If you don’t, the complaints will go to the agencies and the lawyers, and then you’ve moved into a different ball game that’s being controlled by someone else. When the complaints come to you first, you can take action. Yesterday’s Advisor covered the watchdog role as part […]

Is Corporate Watchdog in the HR Job Description?

Is Corporate Watchdog part of your job description? On paper, probably not. But in practice, probably yes. Who else is going to do it? Marketing? IT? Finance? Puh—leese. Fortunately, there are things you can do to make that part of your job easier. Get Out and About You won’t pick up much information sitting in […]

Five Steps to Protect Your Company from Claims under New ADA

by Jonathan R. Mook Even though the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) hasn’t issued final regulations on the ADA Amendments Act (ADAAA) yet, you still must comply with the ADAAA, which took effect at the beginning of last year. In this article, we’re addressing the defense of claims under the new Americans with Disabilities Act […]