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Inflexible Return-to-Work Policy is Risky Business

by Emily Hobbs-Wright Employers that have a policy of automatically terminating employees who fail to return to work after they’ve exhausted their workers’ compensation leave need to be aware that such a policy puts them at risk of a class-action lawsuit under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Read on to learn more about the […]

Employee Engagement

How to Build Employee Engagement with Your Mission

It’s hard to overstate the importance of genuine employee engagement. Employees who are engaged at work often work harder and smarter; encourage others to do the same, whether by word or deed; are less likely to leave for a different job; and may even act as brand ambassadors, even while not on the clock.

Do You Train Supervisors to Make Good Decisions?

  A decision from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Iowa shows how far some former employees will reach to stretch their termination into some legal claim against their employer. More important, though, it underscores the importance that training and supervisor/manager competence can play in protecting employers from spurious legal claims. Background […]

stress

Dealing with the unseen: Tips for traversing legal terrain of hidden disabilities

Work can be stressful for anyone, and employers are wise to ease the burdens when possible in the interest of maintaining productivity and the general well-being of the workforce. But disabilities can complicate the issue, especially when the disability isn’t obvious.  Human resources professionals may be well aware that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), […]

Education Is the Key to Effective Wellness Programs

“Well on the Way: Engaging Employees in Workplace Wellness,” a white paper released by Colonial Life & Accident Insurance Company, explains that strong communication drives the effectiveness of wellness programs. The company has found that more than half of workers do not know enough about their company’s wellness programs to participate in them. Winners of […]

Check out BLR’s 2015 Holiday Survey Results

Yesterday we explored some of the results of BLR’s 2015 Holiday Survey. Today, more from the same survey. Deck the Halls If their holiday decorations are within reason, 69.9% of survey participants allow employees to display them. Another 20.4% allow employees to display whatever they want. Display of nonreligious decorations is allowed by 5.7%, and […]

Exploring safety dilemmas: What to do when disabilities complicate evacuations

Planning for an emergency can be a complicated task. Emergencies, almost by definition, are tough to predict and, therefore, tough to prepare for. And even carefully planned emergency preparedness procedures can go awry if a disability prevents an employee from being able to evacuate the workplace in a dangerous situation. Recently, attorneys familiar with workplace […]