Content about Law

Among the mistakes employers sometimes make when investigating workplace misconduct: waiting too long to get started, limiting the scope of the investigation, failing to take interim measures to curb bad behavior and selecting a biased investigator.

During a July 2012 webinar, Allison West, SPHR -- an employment attorney who specializes in training, conducting workplace investigations, and coaching executives and managers -- said she evaluates several over-arching issues:

U.S. employers increasingly rely on incentives to drive participation in health programs and to encourage employees and their families to take better care of themselves, according to survey findings from Aon Hewitt.

A slow-moving Hurricane Isaac is bad news for the people of the Gulf Coast, according to Thursday morning weather reports. 

By one estimate, Isaac could cause as much as $1.5 billion in insured losses. Nearly 650,000 people in the area are without power in the Gulf region and Arkansas.

Retail companies and distributors have mobilized.

If any good news can be gleaned from a recent spate of mass shootings in the United States, it’s that these horrific incidents tend to raise awareness and spur employers to find new and better ways to improve the safety and security of their workplaces.

The bring-your-own-device (BYOD) movement may be popular with employees, but it may also be putting corporate data at risk due to a lack of adequate security controls, employer policies and employee education, according to a survey conducted by Coalfire, an IT governance, risk and compliance services company.

Paint may be a very emotional decision for consumers, but in the retail world, it’s a simple business plan: If you want to sell a lot of paint, dedicate enough space to it, assign a full-time, well-trained sales associate to the paint desk, and carry more than two lines of paint. One of those brands should cater to the pros. Find a way to keep the contractors separated from the homeowners, which is not all that difficult; professional painters don’t like to sit on sofas surrounded by tasseled pillows.

Few stances have riled employers this summer more than the National Labor Relations Board’s (NLRB) position that employee handbooks with language about at-will employment may violate the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). This position, which Kent Jones, an attorney with Nixon Peabody in San Francisco, characterized in an interview with SHRM Online as “a terrible stretch,” applies to all employers -- unionized or not.

The NLRB floated this theory in a pair of cases earlier this year at the Phoenix regional office.

When asked to rate their manager on a list of specific behaviors, most employees agreed their boss is open to suggestions, acts in an ethical manner and listens to employees’ concerns. However, 41% disagreed when asked if their boss handles workplace conflict effectively.

In June 2012, Healthy Companies International, a management consulting firm, surveyed 2,700 employees from its in-house database of senior managers, HR executives and C-suite leaders to examine employee perceptions of 20 specific manager behaviors.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court handed a victory to Nemacolin Woodlands Resort on Aug. 21 when it upheld the decision to grant a casino license to Joe Hardy, the founder of both Nemacolin and 84 Lumber.

The connection between the two businesses was factored into an objection raised by Mason-Dixon Resorts, which wanted to build its own casino but lost out when the Pennsylvania Gaming Board awarded Nemacolin the only slot machine license.

More hiring has yet to lead to more pay. While U.S. unemployment fell from 10% in October 2009 to 8.3% in August 2012, it has not been enough to boost salary budget increases and, subsequently, employee wages, according to WorldatWork, an association of total rewards professionals.

Mooresville, N.C.-based Lowe’s posted declines in net sales, comp-store sales and earnings in the second quarter ended Aug. 3.

“Our results fell short of our overall expectations,” said Robert Niblock, Lowe’s chairman, president and CEO. “However, I have confidence in our strategy and in our employees, and while we recognize the significant magnitude of change that we’ve asked the organization to absorb as we transform our business, we fully understand that we must improve our level of execution.”

Pulte Homes has announced the completion of the new 1,956-sq.-ft. home addition to Aimee Copeland’s home, called Aimee's Wing, which took 25 days to complete. Copeland is the young woman who developed a rare bacterial infection called necrotizing fasciitis. She suffered from multiple amputations and is now facing a number of health issues.