Human Resources

From the HR Support Center: How Should We Respond to a Harassment Complaint?

We received a complaint about harassment. How should we respond? When a company suspects that an employee has violated its harassment or discrimination policy, we always recommend conducting a complete (and well-documented) investigation into the allegations. This includes speaking with the employee who made the complaint,...

21 October, 2019

Can an Employer Force English Use?

Can an employer force employees to use English at work? As more non-English-speaking employees enter the workforce, what problems do employers face with non-English speakers? The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) says an English-only rule may violate civil-rights laws unless the employer can show the rule...

16 October, 2019

From the HR Support Center: How Can We Help Employees During the Busy Season?

Here are a few things you can do to make the busy season run as smoothly and stress-free as possible: Remove or reassign non-essential work duties: Before the busy season begins, ask employees in your department to make a list of tasks that other departments could...

14 October, 2019

Personal Use of Equipment Creates Liability

Do you allow your employees personal use of your company's equipment? If you do, consider your liability. Many employers, as a benefit, allow their employees personal use of company vehicles, equipment, and other property. For example, Ted, who owned a car dealership, let employees work on...

09 October, 2019

From the HR Support Center: When a Job Candidate Mentions Having a Disability

One of our employees interviewed a candidate today and emailed me afterwards. He was impressed by the candidate, but grew concerned after the candidate mentioned having social anxiety. He wondered whether the anxiety could affect the candidate’s ability to do the job. I reminded the...

07 October, 2019

From the HR Support Center: DOL Releases Final Overtime Rule, Effective Jan 1, 2020

The Department of Labor has announced the new minimum salary for certain exempt white collar employees. The final rule is very close to the proposed rule we reported on in March. The new minimums will take effect January 1, 2020. Exempt Executive, Administrative, Professional and Computer...

30 September, 2019

From the HR Support Center: Can We Allow an Employee with a Negative Vacation Balance to Take Time Off?

Question: I hired an exempt employee several months ago knowing that she wanted time off within her first month of work. We do not typically allow negative vacation balances, but we decided to allow it in this one situation. This employee still has a negative vacation...

23 September, 2019

From the HR Support Center: How Do I Determine Whether a Position Is Exempt or Non-exempt?

Exempt and non-exempt are classifications under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), a federal law requiring that most employees receive at least minimum wage for each hour worked and overtime pay for hours worked over 40 in a workweek. Employees who are entitled to both...

16 September, 2019

Gain More with Employees Doing These Tests

Involve your employees in ways to improve your organization's productivity. One way is to take some improvement tests with your employees and discuss the findings. Ask your employees to "Imagine you're self-employed. Imagine you're a freelance writer, for example." Then give them the following test situations...

11 September, 2019

What To Do if an Employee Has Been Falsifying Their Timecards

If you discover an employee has been falsifying their timecard, you should refer to your policies and past practice. Hopefully, you have a policy that makes it clear that timesheets must be accurate and that failure to report time correctly could lead to discipline—up to...

09 September, 2019