You’ve heard a lot of talk about Obamacare, officially known as the Affordable Care Act (ACA). But do you know how how ACA affects your office as an employer? The ACA imposes new obligations on employers. Some of these are already in effect and are continuing obligations you should be satisfying, but others don't kick in until next year or later. Review our summary of the key … [Read more...] about How the Affordable Care Act affects your office policies and practices
Compliance
How to protect your practice against costly FLSA and EEOC claims
Do an HR audit at the start of each year Today's protection against tomorrow's employment law claims is a human resources audit. An audit is essential to keep the firm's employment processes accurate and current – and also followed, says Joseph Godwin, human resources consultant for F&H Solutions Group in Ashville, NC. The audit needs to be done every year, because with … [Read more...] about How to protect your practice against costly FLSA and EEOC claims
Workplace violence: A 10-step prevention and liability management plan
You don't need us to tell you that violence in the workplace has become a major societal problem. You probably also recognize that taking steps to keep violence out of your own workplace is not only a moral but a legal imperative. But what you may not know is exactly how to go about preventing workplace violence. And that's why we created this 10-step plan for you (as well as a … [Read more...] about Workplace violence: A 10-step prevention and liability management plan
5 ways your firm can be liable for workplace violence
Failure to prevent an act of violence from occurring at your workplace can result in your law firm being held liable under one or more of the following five laws: 1. U.S. OSHA The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) doesn't have a specific regulation or "standard" for workplace violence the way it does for other workplace hazards like chemicals, … [Read more...] about 5 ways your firm can be liable for workplace violence
Employee briefing: 6 tips for preventing workplace violence
Share these tips on how to prevent workplace violence with your employees. 1. Assess your work environment: Critically examine all areas of your work environment, including parking lots, entryways, reception areas, work areas, and offices. 2. Pay attention to the warning signs: Many people who become violent communicate their intentions in advance. Threats from clients, … [Read more...] about Employee briefing: 6 tips for preventing workplace violence
Model Policy: Workplace violence statement
Why you need this policy: Although not specifically required by OSHA, Best Practices and unofficial OSHA guidance suggests that employers develop a written program to prevent workplace violence that includes, among other things, a written statement from management expressing the organization's policy on workplace violence. How this policy helps you: Although it requires … [Read more...] about Model Policy: Workplace violence statement
Can you use Facebook to screen job applicants?
"We don't think employers should be asking prospective employees to provide their Facebook passwords [for pre-hiring background checking] because we don't think it's the right thing to do." -- Facebook (statement on company's website) Facebook's statement has set off a firestorm of controversy and misinformation. The popular consensus seems to be that the employer's practice of … [Read more...] about Can you use Facebook to screen job applicants?
Model Tool: Privacy Risk Assessment
Why you need this assessment: Information collected about individual job applicants is considered personal information subject to privacy laws, regardless of whether the information is publicly available. You need to consider these privacy risks you face before using social media sites like Facebook to gather personal information about job applicants. How this assessment helps … [Read more...] about Model Tool: Privacy Risk Assessment
Model Tool: Pre-Employment Screening Notification
Why you need this notification: Collecting information about job applicants from social media websites like Facebook can get you into legal hot water. That's because the information you collect may be considered protected, personal information to the extent applicants can show they had a reasonable expectation of privacy in the material. How this notification helps you: It's … [Read more...] about Model Tool: Pre-Employment Screening Notification
Model Policy: Progressive discipline and employee termination
Why you need this policy: There's no point in having any policies, procedures, and standards unless you're prepared to discipline employees who disobey them. The problem is that discipline is not only unpleasant but likely to result in some form of legal grievance, especially if the employee belongs to a union. That means you'll end up having to defend your action before an … [Read more...] about Model Policy: Progressive discipline and employee termination