April 2017

HR Strategies goes above and beyond in managing customized HR solutions for companies that are motivated to reduce costs by using HR Outsourcing. As a Professional Employer Organization (PEO), HR Strategies becomes your Payroll Processing Company and Workers' Compensation Outsourcing, handles your Employee Benefits, provides Human Resource Consulting, works with you on Human Resources Regulatory Compliance, and provides Human Resource Training, as well as many other related HR responsibilities.

Our professionals enable small business owners to focus on their core competencies, rather than focusing on running payroll, providing employee benefits, or the many other facets of human resource administration. We allow business owners to concentrate on their passion, without being distracted by countless human resources responsibilities.
Help! My Company Has Fallen
Victim to a Workplace Scam!

HR Stories From The Front Lines*
 


On almost a weekly basis, a report of the latest workplace scam hits the airwaves. From W-2 email phishing schemes (where cybercriminals posing as company executives request copies of payroll data) to the CEO scheme (where a cybercriminal calls the company pretending to be the CEO and requests that payments be redirected to another account), these scams are becoming more commonplace and companies are more often falling victim to this type of attack.

Is your company prepared for the latest scam? Read ahead to learn how a lack of preparedness caused one company to fall victim to one of these schemes.

Read more

(*These Incidents happened; but names and other details have been changed.)

Stay Up to Date on the Latest Employment Legal Updates

FEDERAL UPDATES
Frequently Absent Employees Require Careful Management under the ADA
A No Dogs Allowed Policy Might Not Work For Emotional Support Service Dogs (or other animals)
Another Costly Lesson about Sex Discrimination
2016 EEOC Litigation Data Released
What Employers Can Learn From This "Textbook" Disability Discrimination Case Involving Post Offer, Pre-Employment Medical Examinations
Sometimes It Only Takes One Comment To Create A Hostile Work Environment
Warning To Employers – Do Not Ignore Reasonable Accommodations During the Hiring
Process!


STATE UPDATES
Arizona: The Fate of Arizona's Proposition 206 Has Been Decided
California: Coming Soon to a California Workplace Near You -- Indoor Heat Regulations
California: Rules Governing the Inspection of Personnel Files in California
California: Employers – Are You Separately Paying Your Commission-Only Employees for Rest Breaks?
California: Court Takes A Surprising Stance On Healthcare Meal Waivers
Massachusetts: Handling an Employee's Request for Indefinite Leave in Massachusetts
New York: Employers – Are You Ready for Paid Family Leave?
Oregon: Employers Breathe a Sigh of Relief With Court's Rejection of BOLI's Overtime Guidance Materials For Oregon Manufacturers
Vermont: Employee Drug Testing in Vermont

 
Do you have an HR question that has been keeping you up at night? The following questions were submitted to our HR Professionals in the past month ...

Question #1
We may have a weird situation (although probably not all that uncommon). A few months back an employee got injured (off the job) and required a medical leave and then work modification. In the course of completing that paperwork it came to our attention that the employee was using a false name and social security number. When confronted he admitted this and refused to give us proper documentation and thus was terminated for falsifying his employment records and his application.

Now, a few months later, there is talk that a few more employees may have alternative social security numbers than those provided upon hire. Assuming they are willing to provide us with the correct and current information, what is the proper policy here?

We think the best course of action would be to fire and rehire them under the correct documents but I am not sure what our liability there is or what to do about the fact that we have in some cases possibly 5-10 years of employment records and payroll taxes using a different social security number.

Question #2
I have a salaried employee who has taken an excessive number of full days off. To date (3/10/2017), he has taken 8 full days off. Can we tell him any more personal full days off taken now to June 30, 2017 will be without pay?

View the Answers
Could Buying a Lunch for a Customer
Result in Sexual Harassment?

Brain Teaser

Over the past several weeks, Mitch, the manager at Salad Xpress, has noticed that one of the restaurant’s regulars causes quite the stir when she comes there for lunch.

This particular regular is a very attractive, buxom, young woman who is a receptionist at a nearby law firm. Whenever she comes into the restaurant, several of the male employees drop what they are doing and vie for her attention. There have even been several instances where a male employee has paid for this customer’s meal.

The customer does not seem to have a problem with this attention, but Mitch believes that this type of behavior could expose the company to the claim. What, if anything, should Mitch do?
  1. Mitch is overreacting. Since the customer has not complained about the male employees, there is nothing that Mitch needs to do at this time.
  2. Mitch should talk to his employees about their behavior towards this customer and encourage them to stop, as their conduct could easily be interpreted as sexual harassment.
  3. Mitch should keep a close eye on the employees when this customer comes into the restaurant and terminate any employee who buys a meal for this employee, as that conduct is inappropriate.
  4. This customer is causing a disruption in the workplace, Mitch should approach her and tell her that she can longer eat at the restaurant.
View the answer.

10 Things to Do Before
Terminating an Employee
HR Trends

"You're fired!" These are the words employees dread hearing and HR Professionals hate uttering. It comes as no surprise that termination continues to be one of the most dreaded employment actions for HR Managers. Read ahead to ensure you follow our termination checklist.

Read More.


This information is provided by ePlace Solutions, Inc. which is solely responsible for its content. ePlace Solutions, Inc. is not engaged in rendering legal or other professional services. Federal and state laws are more complex than presented here. This information is simplified for the sake of brevity and is not a substitute for legal advice. ePlace Solutions, Inc. disclaims any liability, loss or risk incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and application of any of the contents of this information.
 

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