Employers should regularly revise and modify their employment policies and employee handbooks as the law changes and as their operational needs dictate. Once you make policy changes, however, should you communicate them to your employees? If so, how? This article provides tips on how to best communicate policy changes to employees.
Audit your policies and practices [...]

Brenna Lewis worked part-time as a front desk clerk for Heartland Inns in Altoona and Ankeny, Iowa. She did a great job — at least according to her direct supervisors. She was well liked by customers and fit in well in the position. Based on those accolades, she was offered and accepted a full-time day [...]

Imagine for a moment the employee who seems just a little off — having disproportionate negative reactions to criticism, having strange obsessions with weapons or death, being unusually hot-tempered, demanding, or controlling, or having other odd or erratic behaviors.
Now imagine that despite the employee’s peculiarity, he’s an above-average worker and his job performance is otherwise [...]

by Rita M. McKinney
Supervisors can be an employer’s frontline of protection against costly discrimination claims — if they’re armed with the right information and training. Here are 11 important things every supervisor needs to know.
Basic Training for Supervisors – easy-to-read guides to avoid legal hazards, covering more than 17 areas of supervisor training

It seems that the number of people with allergies or sensitivities to various scents and smells has grown substantially. Some of those allergies can be severe, causing severe respiratory difficulties and other serious health issues. Questions continue to arise about the often competing rights of allergic employees and coworkers who wish to be able to [...]

by Sally J. Reynolds
Each year thousands of Americans resolve to quit smoking, but most will be unsuccessful. Some employers have begun implementing financial incentives to motivate their health plan participants to stop using tobacco. One type of reward may be a discount on health insurance premiums for employees who don’t use tobacco or are actively [...]

by Charles S. Plumb
Understanding and applying the rules of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) causes employers and HR professionals untold frustration — frustration that’s heightened by employees who unfairly take advantage of the Act and its complexities. Here are some practical suggestions for enforcing the FMLA and cutting down on FMLA abuse in [...]

by Claudia N. Lombardo
According to economist Dean Baker, President Barack Obama’s own economic team believes the President’s stimulus package will have no effect on unemployment — currently at 10 percent — two years from now. The announcement caught the attention of many employers, already worried about having to make future layoffs, and has initiated discussions [...]