Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
Recently, the abusive ex-husband of one of our employees entered our facility and threatened the employee and several of her co-workers. No one was injured, but the employees are now looking to us to do something. Should we encourage employees who are victims of domestic violence to notify us if there’s a possibility of this […]
One of our employees has been prescribed a powerful medication. Can we ask her to take a fitness-for-duty evaluation to determine if the drug decreases her ability to perform the job’s duties? Also, her situation is making me worried that other employees might be in the same boat. Can we require employees to divulge prescription […]
We’re having trouble getting our holiday pay policy clarified. If our employees don’t work on a holiday, they get paid straight time for their normal hours for the holiday. If they do work on a holiday, do they get time and one-half for the hours worked on the holiday plus the straight time holiday pay? […]
If you have employees who drive motor vehicles for work purposes, it’s important to take a close look at whether you’re doing all you can to ensure employees drive safely and avoid accidents—and your best bet is to implement a comprehensive driver safety program. According to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), an […]
How long should I keep HR records?
The U.S. Department of Labor has revised the poster that employers are required to post in the workplace to inform employees of their rights under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA). USERRA sets out employment reinstatement and benefits rights for service members, and it applies to all employers regardless of size, including […]
The Internal Revenue Service has just issued temporary and proposed regulations designed to reduce the tax filing burden for small business owners. As of Jan. 1, 2006, eligible small employers will be able to file the new Form 944 (Employer’s Annual Federal Tax Return) once a year, rather than filing Form 941 (Employer’s Quarterly Federal […]
I have a question about determining the exempt or nonexempt status of our lowest-level managers. We think they are exempt, but we’ve read about some pretty expensive lawsuits and want to avoid that. We classify these employees as exempt, and they seem happy enough with that designation. Most of them are eager to move up […]
If I discover an employee on a long and obviously non-business-related phone call, can I interrupt and tell the employee to hang up? Our policy does not explicitly prohibit personal calls, but is there some way to discourage them? — Anonymous
The Internal Revenue Service has issued the 2006 standard mileage rate commonly used to reimburse employees for the business use of a vehicle. The new rate will be 44.5 cents per mile, beginning Jan. 1, 2006.