nora akins

November 1, 2009

Categories

Compliance

Preparing for the Pandemic

Now that many companies have reduced staff to bare bones, the world is bracing itself for the H1N1 virus. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) projects that employers should plan for between 30% and 50% absenteeism, for up to six weeks. Determining what measures employers can take is wound around a number of conflicting regulations. The General Duty Clause of Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) requires that employers’ workplaces are “free from recognized hazards” that may cause serious injury or death. This regulation may apply if the H1N1 virus is present in the workplace and would require […]

October 1, 2009

Categories

Civility

Civility

Many people think being civil is the same as having good manners. Civility includes getting along, sometimes to the extent of making sacrifices for the good of the whole group. Civility also includes a sense of reciprocity. Workplaces have a set of unspoken rules for verbal and non-verbal behaviors which reflect the level of respect and civility that exists. Such rules are established by example of all levels of management.

September 1, 2009

Categories

Compliance

Choose Your Lawsuit

Employers may feel they are in a no-win situation when faced with an allegation of discrimination. If the employer terminates the alleged perpetrator, it may face a wrongful termination lawsuit. If the employer determines the alleged perpetrator is innocent, the accuser may claim harassment, discrimination , and/or retaliation. All employers need to have policies and procedures related to unlawful conduct in place. There needs to be a consistent standard of conduct applied to everyone. And a complaint procedure needs to be written, easily accessible and understood. A procedure to conduct an internal investigation will provide structure to assure a certain […]

July 1, 2009

Categories

Performance

Re-Orientation

Employee orientation, now referred to as onboarding is a human resource tool that may be repurposed to re-orient employees to their companies. Onboarding is a systematic approach to integrate a new employee with the company. It is a process that is frequently overlooked or poorly executed. However, when onboarding is done effectively, employees become productive faster and voluntary turnover is lower. There is a great deal of evidence that onboarding increases employee engagement. The process is designed to reduce stress of the new employee, familiarize the employee with the company’s culture, products, procedures and how their job functions contribute. Watson […]