Posts by Joe Boone
It Is Not Too Late to Consider Updating Your Employee Handbook for 2019
Employee handbooks are an often neglected and under appreciated company document. Preparing, maintaining, and updating a handbook that reflects the policies of your company and your operations takes time and expertise. A well-written employee handbook can be an effective document to ensure compliance with applicable laws as they evolve and as new laws go into…
Read MoreEducate Managers About Third-Party Harassment
Many managers aren’t aware that their companies could be liable for harassment if a customer or vendor harasses an employee. And worse, some managers try to squelch any third-party harassment claims from employees to avoid losing business. Unfortunately, you could find dozens, maybe hundreds, of cases where managers get a complaint from an employee about customer or third-party potential harassment, and the…
Read MoreWorkplace Bullies Can Threaten the Heart
If you’re bullied by a bad boss or co-worker, your heart may pay the price, new research shows. Victims of on-the-job bullying or violence faced a higher risk of heart disease and stroke, the researchers found. The new study of more than 79,000 European workers couldn’t prove cause and effect. But if there is a…
Read MorePreparing the Workplace for Generation Z
During the next few years, we will see an increase in the number of workers entering the workplace who are part of Generation Z. This generation, born after 1995 and now in their 20s, brings a new perspective on personal and professional values, an inherent understanding of technology and an acceptance of diversity unlike those…
Read MoreEEOC Is Committed to Ending Workplace Harassment
Curbing workplace sexual harassment is an ongoing priority for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), according to agency leaders. The EEOC received more sexual-harassment charges in fiscal year 2018 than 2017 and filed more sexual-harassment lawsuits on behalf of aggrieved workers. The agency has put a huge emphasis on anti-harassment efforts and is focusing on…
Read MoreOFCCP’s Agenda for 2019: More Audits and Increased Transparency
As contractors start to see new scheduling letters arrive from OFCCP’s latest round of advance notification letters, OFCCP has new opportunities to demonstrate its commitment to transparency, through implementation of the Agency’s recently released Directive 2018-08: Transparency in OFCCP Compliance Activities. The Agency’s stated philosophy is that transparency should “guide OFCCP staff during every stage of the compliance evaluation, from beginning to…
Read MoreEmployers Can Be Liable for Distracted Driving???
Technology has made it easier for employees to work and drive It’s easy to imagine: A manager takes a business call while driving to work, a driver browses social media while delivering packages, or a salesperson who’s stuck in traffic sends a text to a client. So what happens when distracted drivers cause accidents while…
Read MoreHarassment Claim Advances Despite Failure to Report Misconduct
An employee’s sexual harassment claim against her former employer could proceed to trial, even though she did not report the alleged conduct to management during her tenure, the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decided. Other employees did report incidents of harassment by the alleged harasser, however. The plaintiff began her employment with Susquehanna County,…
Read MoreNew FMLA Forms Available from Department of Labor
Executive Summary: The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) released new Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) notices and certification forms on September 4, 2018. The new forms are valid until August 31, 2021, and are available for download from the DOL Website. Notably, the DOL did not make any material changes to the prior forms;…
Read MoreOnce Is Enough: Eleventh Circuit Allows Racial Harassment Claim Against Health Care Provider to Proceed—and Takeaways For Employers
Synopsis: In a recent decision, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts: Middle District of Alabama. Northern District of Alabama. … Southern District of Georgia, held that the use of the N-Word in the workplace one time is sufficient to trigger a hostile work environment. Additionally, the…
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