countrygirl

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countrygirl
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  • Hi Tulsa...it's a violation of federal labor law (the National Labor Relations Act, to be specific) to have policies that prohibit (or make your employees think that they are prohibited) from discussing the terms and conditions of their employment -…
  • I think that when it comes to office romance you really can't keep employees from dating each other. It's a different story with supervisors and their direct reports - I would have a policy prohibiting that (we do). It's just asking for trouble not …
  • I'm sorry, but this has disaster written ALL over it. I would seriously consider changing your policy.
  • I agree with Praise. Just say thanks and leave it at that. If one of your co-workers unilaterally decides to give you something out of the blue, there's no way you could have expected to have to reciprocate. A simple thank you is enough.
  • This definitely is a hard situation. But, under the ADA you can require a "fitness-for-duty" exam when you need to determine whether an employee is still able to perform the essential functions of their job - like if an employee suddenly starts to u…
  • Under federal law, you can deduct the cost of providing "tools of the trade" and other material necessary for carrying out your business as long as the deduction does not reduce the employee's pay below minimum wage. Not sure if a guidebook would fa…
  • I agree with hr410, this is asking for a national origin claim. not only that, but asking about an applicant's age may give the impression that your company wants to hire people of a certain age and can leave you open to age claims
  • I think it's important to let co-workers know that their colleague has been let go, and reassure them that the termination is not indicative of things to come, i.e., not part of a plans to start laying off more workers (if that's the case). This wil…
  • I don't think that the way you have it now really is a problem. But, you may want to change the wording to say "are you a minor" or "are you under 18". This way you don't even have the word "older" in there. 
  • Actually, Washington state has its own FML law that gives eligible employees up to 12 work weeks of leave per year for the birth or adoption of a child. Also, empoyers have to give a "reasonable leave of absense" for a temporary disability resulting…
  • This is absolutely crazy. I can already see the class action lawsuits brewing. Talk about discouraging people from reporting discrimination! This seems COMPLETELY illegal to me...
  • Don't you wish sometimes that you could tell these people to just grow up?? Meetings are part of the job. Sure, they can get annoying and everyone has a lot to do, but you just have to deal. I'd have a sit-down with this employee and encourage him t…
  • I definitely think these types of surveys are a good idea. With so much emphasis  lately on employee retention, it's really important to know how your employees feel about their jobs so that your company can make any adjustments and keep good employ…
  • There are definitely some real legal issues here - especially the overtime and breach of contract possibilities. Universities usually have a pretty good set up as to who you should go talk to about situations like this. An HR department, or an acade…
  • I don't know of a law against it...but what's the point? I can't tell from whether or not these employees are being fired or resigning. But it seems like, if the employee is leaving voluntarily, it's not a great thing for your company to be doing si…
  • I'm with Barbie. There's no law that says that you need them, but they are a good thing to have, especially if you're ever faced with an ADA or FLSA claim. Not only that, but practically they're good to have - they can help you recruit and hire the …
  • the fact that you hired another working mother is definitely a plus. i would also make sure that the employee's poor performance was documented somewhere  - constructive discharge is hard to prove and if you have documents it'll help.
  • One of my old bosses reminds me of Jack Malone on Without A Trace - tough and sometimes abrasive, but only because he knows the potential of his employees (too bad he didn't look like him, too!).
  • i couldn't agree more...there's a difference between being overly "pc" and just rude/insensitive. whoever put the sign up on your snack machine should take it down...there's other ways to warn people about a broken vending machine than using an ethn…
  • preppy is definitey back in - cardigans, plaid skirts, the whole thing....i actually was reading about it in the latest issue of InStyle magazine yesterday. whether or not it'll be the end of bad dressers is another story...although i agree with NY …
  • i don't know, SF...this seems like a stretch to me...
  • Hey CJ - You may have a problem if you try to get rid of this employee. Under federal labor law, employers can't keep workers from discussing their wages or other terms or conditions of employment. If you get rid of this worker because of the conve…
  • This depends on what state you're in. Some states have laws requiring you to let an employee see what's in her personnel file (and/or copy it). If you're in one of these states, you have no choice. But, most of the laws do have exceptions for certai…
  • this is absolutely bizzare. first, i think that it's strange that a boss would be looking for his or employees on line anyway. on the other hand, you put yourself out there when you join myspace/facebook, so you have to deal with who finds you!!
  • Absolutely use an attorney, and one that you know specializes in employment law.
  • i was reading one of the e-newsletters i get, and there was a 2 part article about how IM'ing can actually cause security issues...check them out... http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/58056.html http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/58170.html
  • i wouldn't worry about it. it probably gave the applicant false hope, but in most states alot more than that would be needed to form an implied contract
  • By the way (and not sure if this is applicable to your situation or not) but the ADA may also come into play here...check out  the following link to JAN (Job Accommodation Network) for info on accommodating employees w/ back impairments: http://www.…
  • I don't have a sample policy, but I'd imagine that you'd want to specify when employees can use it (i.e., lunch breaks, before/after work) and that it can't interfere with work time. You can include it as part of your overall wellness policy, if you…
  • This doesn't seem like theft to me, but just a misunderstanding. Besides, they didn't try to steal a large amount of money, unless I'm just totally missing the point since you're using another country's currency. It seems that you want to fire these…