Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
We’ve got a fork truck driver whose hearing is so bad that he can’t hear people shout at him, and he can’t hear warning honks. We think he’s a real danger to other workers. What can we do? — Joel, HR Manager in Merced
We have a large workforce, and many people operate machinery, fork trucks, etc. Plus, many handle hazardous substances. We now think that some employees have medical conditions that may cause them to lose concentration, and we have some other employees who may be taking medications that might affect their ability to work safely. How do […]
by Tara McPhail McCarthy Tetrault Canadian human rights laws require employers to accommodate employees and customers with disabilities up to a point. What point? The point at which the accommodation would constitute “undue hardship” on the employer. But what makes an undue hardship? A recent Supreme Court of Canada decision appears to set a high […]
The following are recommended provisions for creating a policy on religious accommodation: State that your organization recognizes that many employees have varying religious beliefs and practices and that all will be respected. State that the company does not allow religious solicitation or proselytizing of other employees, customers, or vendors on company premises or while an […]
We have a situation. One of our senior managers is pushing his religion. He prays at meetings and holds prayer groups and Bible studies. He insists they are “voluntary,” but his employees feel that if they don’t attend, they won’t get a shot at raises and promotions. What should I do about a manager who […]
Richard King was a valued United Parcel Service (UPS) supervisor in Redding for more than 30 years, until he was fired for falsifying an employee’s timecard. King contended in a lawsuit that the real reason for his termination was disability bias. But now a California appeals court has dismissed King’s suit—and the case is a […]
An employee has submitted a claim for permanent disability under workers’ compensation. Assuming it is awarded, what do we do next? Do we terminate him? If so, at what point? How long do we have to keep him on our group health insurance? What about other issues like bonuses? —Sybil, HR Specialist in Ventura 400+ […]
We have an employee with what I think are mental health problems. The person has angry outbursts—not violent exactly, but pretty wild when they happen. My question is, how do we approach this person? I don’t think I should be saying, “Hey, I think you have manic depression,” but I don’t know what approach is […]
One of our current employees has referred a friend for employment under our employee referral program, which rewards employees who refer applicants if we end up hiring them. The employee mentioned that the friend uses marijuana for medical purposes. I don’t really want to consider this person because we are a drug-free workplace, but I’m […]
We’re contemplating a new policy that will allow many of our employees to work from home several days a week. Before we launch into this program, I’d like to have some clarification on what responsibilities—or liabilities—we have. If employees are injured while working at home, for example, what happens? If customers get injured while seeing […]