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Personnel Records: Court Rules Departing Employees Can’t Take Confidential Documents; How To Maintain Control Of Your Records

When employees are fired or quit under difficult circumstances, they may try to take confidential papers you didn’t intend them to have or see. And if they later sue you for wrongful termination or other employment-related matters, the ex-employees may try to use the records against you. But a new court ruling, along with some […]

Want Great Candidates? Follow Winston Churchill’s Lead, says Top Business Leader

About 85% of HR managers say they’ve hired people not suited to the work environment, says a recent survey. But one business leader says he has the three secrets to finding “the best people you’ve ever worked with.” It appears that, in spite of advances in Internet job posting, computerized résumé tracking, and electronic résumé […]

Finetuning ‘Fiduciary’ — DOL taking Another Stab at Definition

Thanks to President Obama’s executive order on revisiting federal regulations, and likely a flood of comments from the employee benefits community, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) is scratching its proposed rule on the definition of fiduciary and will be issuing a revised one in early 2012. In what likely could be considered an understatement, […]

Vegas Trip with Terminally Ill Mother Excuses Absence, Per FMLA

Absences to care for a family member with a serious health condition do not need to be connected to medical treatment — nor do they depend on a particular location — to qualify as leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act, the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed in Ballard v. Chicago Park […]

Health Reform Adds a Twist to College Graduation Celebrations

Once, parents were not the only ones celebrating a child’s college graduation — employers were too. While parents were looking forward to kids finally getting out on their own, employers were anticipating getting them off of their group health plan. But health care reform means that employers have to wait a little longer to break […]

shooting

Practice What You Hope to Never Need

Violence struck at the heart of the Arizona legal community this summer. Over two days in early June, gunshots rang out at a law firm and the offices of two mental health professionals who often serve as court witnesses. For several days while the shooter remained at large, legal workplaces in Phoenix, Scottsdale, and surrounding […]

Age Bias: Bank Manager’s Careless Remarks Lead To $430,000 Judgment For Laid-Off Worker

Bank of America recently learned the perils of terminating workers over age 40. One of its managers offhandedly suggested that a laid-off older employee retire, then later promised to help her get an interview for another bank job. However, he never followed through. Unfortunately for the bank, a jury believed that these incidents, along with […]

If You Don’t Test, You’re a Magnet for Drug Abusers

In yesterday’s Advisor, Dr. W. Smith Chandler offered tips on drug testing. Today, he’ll show how to prevent liability when testing, and we’ll introduce a unique all-in-one HR problem solver that helps with drug testing and most every other HR challenge. Chandler, an SPHR and physician who is board-certified in occupational medicine, has helped many […]