Free Reports

 

Most Recent Reports:

 

Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) Becomes Law summarizes new legislation that was signed by President Bush on May 21, 2008.  The report contains a synopsis of all three parts of GINA: nondiscrimination provisions related to employers, nondiscrimination provisions related to health plans, and an amendment to the Fair Labor Standards Act.  Specifically, learn what employment actions employers can and cannot take when it comes to the genetic information of their employees and employees' family members.
Preventing Religious Discrimination And Harassment Claims In The Workplace gives you a concise overview of employer obligations under Title VII. Plus, get ideas for accommodating employees' requests to observe the Sabbath and pray during the workday.

Going Green In The Workplace provides you with low-cost, easy-to-implement ideas that will make your workplace more environmentally responsible and resource-efficient. Also included is advice for achieving senior management buy-in, a case study and sample policy language, and tips for how best to publicize your efforts to go green.

 

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Identity Theft: A Workplace Threat Not To Be Taken Lightly gives you simple, inexpensive tips for securing documents containing personal data; advises you on your company's legal shredding obligations; helps you prepare for how best to respond to a security breach before one actually happens; and contains information on how to help employees resolve a case of identity theft. 

When Romance Rocks The Workplace provides you with practical advice for managing unrequited love, off-hour rendezvous, and superior/subordinate relationships to help ensure that that your organization's heart isn't broken in court, along with its piggybank.

Reaping The Rewards Of Employee Mentoring gives you everything you need to know to establish an effective program. Learn the basics of mentoring, what to consider in deciding the program's degree of formality, the characteristics of successful participants, common obstacles and suggestions for overcoming them, how to measure success, and the legal danger in denying employees mentoring opportunities.

Turning Negative Employee Attitudes Around provides strategies for encouraging job satisfaction; suggestions for dealing with negative employees; and steps for preventing a negative attitude from becoming a legal issue.

Domestic Violence Isn't So Domestic After All explores what you and your staff should do should a domestic violence issue arise in your workplace. You get legal and practical pointers, as well as a sample policy and a role-playing scenario that you can incorporate into a management training session.

When School's In Session And Employees Are Out provides you with a state-by-state summary of the statutes under which parents and guardians are entitled to time off to tend to a child's school-related activities.

Keep Caregiver Bias Out Of Your Workplace explores stereotypes associated with employees with caregiving responsibilities, as well as the illegal employment actions some employers take based on these stereotypes. You also get advice for helping all employees achieve a work/life balance and a sample family responsibilities discrimination policy.

Clearing The Air On Workplace Smoking Laws provides an overview of each state's workplace smoking restrictions, policy requirements, and posting rules.

Casual Dress Code Policies explores how to implement a casual dress code policy while still maintaining professional dress code standards. Get advice on when the law requires you to make an exception to a dress policy, as well as a sample casual dress code policy itself.

Workplace Violence: It Could Happen To Your Organization explores the many forms workplace violence can take, how to legally screen out potentially violent applicants from the hiring process, FBI-identified personality traits of employees at risk for violent behavior, what to consider when sizing up your organization's physical security, and the basic provisions to include in a violence prevention policy.

Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity Discrimination In The Workplace explores how both federal and state courts have ruled in such matters and includes a summary of state laws.

Welcoming A Wellness Program Into Your Workplace contains 10 keys to unlocking wellness program implementation success in your organization. Plus, learn how to calculate a return on investment of your wellness dollars and how to stay in step with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act's non-discrimination provisions as they apply to wellness programs.

HR Guide For Managing Problem Employees Successfully And Legally contains useful advice on how best to solve common employee problems, such as the employee who pockets office supplies, workers who constantly bicker, those who make a habit of not turning in their time sheets — and many more!

Common Policy Writing Mistakes identifies four of the most common blunders employers make when drafting company policies and offers advice for avoiding these traps.  Included are actual examples of what not to write — taken straight from actual company handbooks.

Top 6 Ways Managers Will Land Your Company In A Lawsuit highlights six of the most common mistakes any manager can make when it comes to terminations, employee problems, policies and procedures, harassment/discrimination, retaliation, and the Family and Medical Leave Act. Each section contains advice you can pass on to managers to keep them from slipping up.

Controlling Absenteeism And Attendance Problems arms you with the techniques on how to improve attendance through motivation, strategies for disciplining employees with chronic attendance problems, plus a rundown of how issues surrounding absenteeism are interpreted under the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Family and Medical Leave Act.

Diversity Initiatives: Deciding Whether They Fit Your Workplace provides you with both the pros and cons of diversity programs so you can make an informed decision regarding whether or not a diversity program is right for your organization.  You also get five steps to take to establish an effective program and a diversity form for evaluating the success of your company’s diversity efforts.

Evaluating What Makes A Medical Condition An ADA-Qualifying Disability provides employers with guidance on how to determine whether and when some common medical conditions qualify for ADA protection.

When State Laws Collide With The Family And Medical Leave Act (FMLA) summarizes each state's family and medical leave provisions for private employers. You get an overview of employer and employee eligibility, amount of leave entitlement, reasons for leave, and reinstatement rights for each.

State Laws On Final Pay: What And When To Pay Terminating Employees provides you with a revised state-by-state summary of vacation pay upon termination, plus an updated chart summarizing each state's final pay laws.

Training Managers To Conduct Effective Performance Appraisals will help you to help your managers get positive results from their appraisal sessions by providing guidance on setting up appraisal training, conducting and documenting performance appraisals, and dispensing criticism.

State Personnel File Access Laws provides you with a state-by-state summary of the statutes under which employees are allowed to inspect their personnel files.

Disaster Preparedness: No Organization Is Immune helps you to prepare your people, your facilities, your policies and procedures, and your data and resources now for potential crisis that could occur later.

Conducting Workplace Investigations arms you with the basic information you need to know to conduct prompt, thorough, and legal investigations...from receiving a complaint to interviewing witnesses to taking post-investigation actions.

Personnel Files: Identifying Vulnerable Record-Keeping Practices protects your company from vulnerable record-keeping mishaps with 10 steps you should take to avoid record-keeping liability, plus a record-keeping policy which all your managers must follow in order to prevent legal firestorms.

Discipline Done Right offers legal and practical advice for doling out discipline, crafting and polishing a discipline policy, dealing with a problem employee, and adopting progressive discipline techniques.