Question: I sent a non-exempt employee on an overnight trip. On their return the next day, the employee’s plane was delayed and they were stuck on it until 7:00 PM. They normally work 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM, but want to be paid for the extra 2 hours. Do I owe it to them? Answer: Not under […]
Ask Dave – HR Legal Compliance
HR Policy Update: Time for a Workplace Bullying Policy?
Guest Blogger Sheila Scott, Director, Client Relations. Although U.S. law does not require employers to have a policy and training that address workplace bullying, experts say that such policies are good business practice and help promote a culture of civility and respect in the workplace. According to a survey sponsored by the Workplace Bullying Institute […]
2013 “Workolutions” Will Increase Employee Productivity and Morale
The words “new year” are synonymous with “resolutions” for most people. Even though you might not come out and verbally declare anything that you will regret committing to later (next week), you have probably thought through some of the popular resolutions as 2013 commenced. Exercise more, eat less, save money, volunteer, etc. But every year […]
Why is Giving Employee Feedback so Difficult
HR Policy Highlight – Casual Summer Dress
In the summer months, even companies that are formal during the rest of the year, loosen their collars and roll-up their sleeves for summer casual dress. While your company may allow for casual dress, that doesn’t mean “anything goes.” Guidelines around proper dress in the workplace should be clearly stated and communicated to employees in […]
What is Lifestyle Discrimination?
There’s a new term gaining popularity – lifestyle discrimination. Lifestyle discrimination protects employees against employers who impose certain lifestyle requirements, such as only hiring non-smokers. It can become lifestyle discrimination if the company requires that employees not smoke when they’re not at work, off duty and/or off work premises. A company can require that employees not […]
Employee Benefits – Is Your Time Off Policy Set Up to Manage Time?
It’s a new year which means, for many companies, their time off policies, such as vacation and sick, reset back to zero. Based on your company’s policy, employees may have carried over a week or two of unused vacation or PTO time or maybe you have a use-it-or-lose policy where they lost time unused. Regardless […]
Does Your Employee Handbook Protect You From Holiday Party Mishaps?
With all the talk of holiday parties, I began to wonder what policies in a Company’s Employee Handbook set the expectations for how employees are expected to behave at these functions? Invariably, we HR professionals come up against some issue stemming from a holiday party every year. Scenarios include the employee who drinks to much […]
Creative Writing and Employee Handbooks
I recently read an interesting blog from the HR Capitalist which questions what we can do to increase readership of a company’s Employee Handbook. The Employee Handbook is one of the Company’s most important communication tools and communicates Human Resource laws, as well as the company’s specific policies with respect to employee benefits and workplace policies. If […]