HR Solutions News

Top Tips for Avoiding Legal Trouble With Employees

Treat your workers with respect.
Communicate with your workers.
Be consistent.
Give regular evaluations.
Make job-related decisions.
Don't punish the messenger.
Adopt sound policies and follow them.
Keep good records.
Take action when necessary.
Be discreet.

There are more legal risks to telecommuting than you may think

"I have only about five books in my office right now because everything is electronic," said Jonathan Yarbrough, an employment lawyer. "Electronic changes are happening so much faster than the law. Really, the law can't keep up." Thanks to technological advances, more and more employees are finding themselves able to telecommute. But the risks of telecommuting include so much more than an employee's exaggeration on an expense sheet or potential decrease in productivity. There are legal risks to be considered and those risks may stretch further than you thought:

Wage and hour issues—specifically, tracking the hours worked of non-exempt employees;
Disability issues—courts are split on the issue of whether telecommuting is a reasonable accommodation;
Employee safety issues—OSHA isn't likely to inspect a home office, but there may be situations where the need could arise; provide suggestions on keeping the home office safe.
Workers' Compensation issues—a telecommuting employee whose home office is in the basement and who goes upstairs for a cup of coffee, which he spills on himself on the way back down causing him to fall down the stairs and break a leg, might have a claim; and
Security – Give remote employees access to company databases on an as-needed basis and build heightened security measures into the authentication process.

Source: The blog is mightier than the sword! Employment issues for the electronic employee, presented by Jonathan W. Yarbrough, employment lawyer and partner at the firm of Constangy, Brooks & Smith, LLC,; www.constangy.com.

Types of benefits most important to job satisfaction

The pressure between rising costs and employee demand is most apparent when looking at the specific benefits that are most important in determining job satisfaction overall-health care/medical benefits. The importance of health care to job satisfaction has been constant over the past five years. With higher health care costs and more fear of the financial repercussions of going without insurance, health care seems likely to continue to be the most valued benefit for the foreseeable future, though retirement benefits and paid time off also appear to be very important to employees.

Top 10 Aspects of Employee Job Satisfaction

While most demographic groups tend to be in general agreement about many of the top issues that make them happy in their jobs, there are some demographic variations that could influence the relative importance of different factors over the coming years. Unsurprisingly, older workers value retirement benefits more than younger workers do, and as the workforce ages, this benefit could become increasingly important. Work/life balance as a recruitment and retention tool may also grow in importance for several reasons. Because the flexibility to balance life and work issues is very critical to younger employees and women, benefits that support work/life balance could become a central recruitment and retention factor as Generations X and Y come to dominate the workforce. With many baby boomers planning to continue to work past retirement age, they may also seek greater job flexibility. Work/life balance may therefore come to be seen as something that workers of all ages greatly value. In addition, as other benefits such as health care and retirement benefits become more difficult to guarantee to all workers due to rising costs, more emphasis may be put on work/life balance and flexibility to offset the dissatisfaction that reductions in other benefits could bring about.
source: www.shrm.org

HOW DO I MANAGE MY EMPLOYEES WHO TELECOMMUTE?

Establish Clear Expectations – This will not only help the employees focus their efforts and build self reliance, but also will help management assess the employees’ performance.
Open the Lines of Communication – Standardize communications by scheduling regular phone calls and maintain in person interactions. Invite remote employees to the office for monthly or quarterly meetings.
Take Advantage of Technology – Not just email, but teleconferencing and videoconferencing to keep workers in touch and involved in the day to day activities of the workplace.
Value Remote Employees’ Contributions – Because interaction in a remote relationship is so limited, it may be more difficult to provide positive feedback remote. Managers should make every effort to value and respect employees’ ideas and contributions.
Provide an Equal Opportunity for Advancement - A recent survey showed that executives believe that workers who telecommute have a lesser chance of advancing in their careers. Managers should not assume that home based employees are not interested in advancing their careers or aren’t looking for a career changing opportunity.

Source: Personnel Legal Alert, July, 2007

Did you know that the average jury award for harassment/discrimination lawsuits is $1.8 million? Is your business safe?

Take this quiz to find out…

Would you recognize sexual harassment in your workplace?
Do your personnel files contain everything they should—and nothing they shouldn’t?
Do you know that companies with as few as one employee are bound by the regulations of the Fair Labor & Standards Act? And that this is the law you are most likely to be violating – without knowing it?
Are you confident that you are hiring and firing in accordance with appropriate laws?
Do you know whether the Family Medical Leave Act applies to your organization?

Answer: If you own a business and answered “no” or “not sure” to one or more of these questions, your business may be at risk for costly lawsuits and fines.

At HR Solutions, we partner with small businesses like yours to:

Ensure your compliance with state and federal employment regulations,
Resolve specific employee issues, and
Establish good employment practices including training and performance management.

These steps help minimize risk, improve employee retention and morale and increase productivity and profit for small companies that don’t have the resources of an in-house HR specialist.

HR Solutions is like having your own HR Department – only better!
Flexible plans to meet your needs and budget.

The HR Mailbag…
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Introducing The HR Business
Breakfast Series

The 2nd Monday of EVERY month, we will be hosting informative sessions on important HR issues.
7:45 AM - 10:00 AM
The Open Door Cafe
Bel Air
Upcoming Topics:
October 8, 2007
Managing Your Employees

For registration info, go to www.hrsolutionsllc.com

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