HR Briefing articles from February 2002

HR Briefing archives from February 2002

High court narrows ADA protection. (ADA).(rules Toyota worker not protected by the Americans with Disabilities Act)(Brief Article)
February 15, 2002... The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that a Toyota assembly-line worker who sued the automaker is not protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Hailed by business groups as a victory for employers, the unanimous decision...

Court expands definition of "workplace".(sexual harassment case involving Delta Air Lines flight attendants)(Brief Article)
February 15, 2002... * A federal appeals court ruling expanded the definition of "workplace" in a Delta Air Lines case. A flight attendant for the airline was attacked by a fellow flight attendant in a hotel room in Rome. Although the location was not the...

Evacuation plans start with a checklist. (Safety Procedures).(Brief Article)
February 15, 2002... Editor's note: This is the second article in a three-part series on emergency evacuation planning. Part I, in the February 1, 2002, issue of HR Briefing described the planning stages, with a focus on high-rise facilities. This article offers...

Supreme Court backs EEOC in right-to-sue case.(Equal Employment Opportunity Commission able to represent Waffle House Inc. employee)(Brief Article)
February 15, 2002... * The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) can seek damages on behalf of employees who have signed away the right to sue their employers. In deciding the case, EEOC v. Waffle House, 99-1823, the...

You be the judge; FMLA.(Brief Article)
February 15, 2002... "My foot ailment isn't getting any better," Art Davenport told his boss, Phil Keene. "My doctor said that I'll need to have surgery in about three to four months and time to recover after that." He then requested permission to take sick time...

Qualified job candidates still rare.(Brief Article)
February 15, 2002... * The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) says that 80 percent of manufacturers report a moderate to severe shortage of qualified job candidates--despite the recession and overall downturn in the economy. "Despite the increase in...

Emergency evacuation must comply with ADA.(Brief Article)
February 15, 2002... * A comprehensive emergency evacuation plan should provide for prompt and effective assistance to people whose medical conditions require it. Following the World Trade Center terrorist attack, many employers are concerned about being...

Layoffs aren't always the answer. (Layoffs).
February 15, 2002... More layoffs being announced every week, as employers respond to the current economic slump by reducing labor costs. But employment experts say that employers are now looking for alternative ways to reduce costs. Employers want to cut...

Employers try to avoid layoffs, says survey.(Brief Article)
February 15, 2002... * A recent survey by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) confirms that employers do try hard to avoid layoffs. Most of the 572 HR professionals who responded to the SHRM@ 2001 Layoffs and Job Security Survey said they took...

Security shouldn't hinder alien hiring.(Brief Article)
February 15, 2002... * The Employment Policy Foundation (EPF), a Washington, D.C., think tank, says that the contribution of guest (foreign) workers to the American economy warrants better security, but tighter security should not make it more difficult for guest...

Care about kids? Start a job-shadowing program. (Student Mentoring).(Brief Article)
February 15, 2002... Organizations involved in job-shadowing programs are shaping the workforce of the future. By exposing young people to careers they may never have known existed, employers are investing in the kind of workplace they want--one made up of...

Company hails job-shadowing program.(Brief Article)
February 15, 2002... * "Job shadowing is a wonderful opportunity for HR to show off the things about your company that you're proud of, and to hopefully enlist some future employees," says Terry Battung, HR manager for Cardholder Management Services, (CMS) of...

Our readers ask ...
February 15, 2002... Q As a condition of accepting an early-retirement offer, our employees must sign an agreement waiving their right to sue under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA). One of our employees wants the early-retirement offer, but refuses...

Severance pay--financial help or performance reward? (Compensation).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... A study of 100 U.S. and Canadian companies shows that, while more than 90 percent of the participants offer severance packages, their reasons for doing so aren't always about giving displaced or retiring workers wages to sustain a transition...

Federal hiring to continue, despite economy.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... * The U.S. anticipates a shortage of federal workers during the next few years, according to Max Stier, president and CEO of the Partnership for Public Service, a new, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization committed to attracting talented...

Adopt an escape plan for your high-rise. (Safety Procedures).
February 1, 2002... If your facility has multiple stories, do you have a plan for getting people out safely in an emergency? The World Trade Center disaster underscores the need to plan for the rapid escape from buildings when fires and other dangers occur in...

New workplace practices predicted.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... [] "Jobseekers as well as employers have learned some hard, yet valuable lessons this year, and as a result, we'll see some new workplace practices evolve in 2002," says Tom Silveri, CEO at Drake Beam Morin (DBM), a global outplacement and HR...

Courts back companies that employees criticized online.
February 1, 2002... * Two recent verdicts set important legal precedents in the cases of employees who are fired for criticizing their employers online. In one case, the company won a $775,000 jury verdict in an Internet defamation and harassment lawsuit...

NLRB. (You Be The Judge).(National Labor Relations Bureau)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... "From now on, employees will receive two 10-minute breaks a day, one in the morning and the second in the afternoon," Durwood Moore, president and CEO of DuLage & Co., told employees at one of a series of informational meetings. On...

HR is more significant than ever.(human resources)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... * In these highly turbulent times, with news of terrorist activities monopolizing the airwaves, corporate leaders should remember that HR continues to be their most valuable resource, says Joyce L. Gioia, CMC and president of the Herman...

Senate democrats support worker tax credit.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... * Senate Democrats support a tax credit for companies who hire new employees, or give current employees raises or increases in work hours. The proposal, made by Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.), is based on an increase in...

Lawmakers want to expand healthcare coverage.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... * People who are not eligible for extended healthcare coverage under COBRA are usually at the mercy of the insurance open market. However, some members of Congress want to change this situation. For example, Senate Finance Committee...

Review COBRA provisions.(Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... * COBRA generally requires that group health plans sponsored by employers with 20 or more employees give laid-off workers the opportunity to continue their health coverage for at least 18 months. If the employee, spouse, or dependent...

Help ex-employees survive a health-coverage loss. (COBRA).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... For about 60 percent of the workforce, insurance benefits are available through the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 (COBRA). COBRA gives workers who lose their health benefits because of a layoff or reduction in work...

Sign up for HRFlash.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... * Sign up now for our free e-mail update--HRFlash. This weekly bulletin will alert you to late-breaking changes in employment laws and regulations, compensation and benefits trends, HR policy tips and best practices, and labor news. ...

Federal court expands workplace definition.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... * The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit has overturned an earlier court ruling, holding that Delta Air Lines could be potentially liable under sexual harassment law for a rape that occurred when two flight attendants were...

How do you handle workplace dissidents? (Policies and Procedures).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Patriotism is high among Americans since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and it's natural for people to express their opinions about what happened. But should employees be allowed or even encouraged to discuss such issues, especially since...

Are you killing the trust factor among employees? (Employee Relations).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Building trust in your organization may seem like an elusive quest. But Jody Urquhart, speaker and author of All Work and No SAY Takes the Passion Away. Create a Passionate & Committed Workplace, warns employers that not being a trustworthy...

NAM releases HR labor agenda.(National Association of Manufacturers)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... * The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) released its 2002 HR policies agenda, a list of employment issues it will be urging Congress and the Bush administration to address during this legislative session. The powerful...

Labor issues make up Bush agenda. (White House action).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... The war on terrorism may seem like the only focus of the Bush administration, but reports on legislative and regulatory proposals show that the President and his backers also have their eyes on labor issues. Federal contracts. The...