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The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has postponed from November 14, 2011 to January 31, 2012 the implementation date for displaying their new poster (Employee Rights Under the National Labor Relations Act).

On August 30, 2011, the National Relations Board (NLRB) issued a final rule requiring employers subject to the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) to post a notice in their workplace informing employees of their rights under federal labor law. This notice must be posted by November 14, 2011.

What employers are subject to the National Labor Relations Act?
The rule applies to all employers subject to the Board’s jurisdiction, except agricultural, railroad and airline employers, and the U. S. Postal Service.

The purpose of progressive disciplinary action is to improve employee performance. Progressive disciplinary action should not be confused with an immediate call for action for a serious violation of company rules, an illegal act, or other egregious behavior.

Even though the process is not intended as a punishment for an employee, it does afford the opportunity for the company to fairly, and with substantial documentation, terminate the employee who is unwilling or ineffective in improving his/her performance.

The Occupational Health and Safety Administration has been one of the beneficiaries of the federal government’s increased budget. As such, they have added additional personnel to conduct investigations. If an inspector visits you, one of the first areas they look at is your safety and health records. Failing to record, or improperly recording work-related injuries and illnesses can result in significant fines.

It might seem like old hat, but having a current employee handbook is more important today than it was years ago. In today’s work environment, employees are more apt to turn to an outside source for advice on how to handle a situation or an issue that did or does not please them in their workplace. Your best protection may be a properly written employee handbook.

You can hardly pick up a professional journal these days without seeing something relating to a company being investigated because of employee “misclassification.” What exactly does that mean, and what are the consequences?

Summer is gone and the change of weather is readily apparent. With the change of weather comes employee coughs, sneezes, sinus infections and the like. Might be a good time to remind employees about your call in procedures relative to calling in sick. Most employers do have a procedure indicating who to call and how long to call in before the scheduled start time. Usually these procedures indicate to call in each day of illness with a potential return to work date.

It’s hard to pick up any communications media piece these days that does not contain some reference to online social networking. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube, for example, have become household words. Social media use has exploded, and it’s here to stay. So, what happens when these media are brought into the workplace?

The resignation of an employee can be a stressful and complicated experience. How should the process work? What are your legal responsibilities? Here are some of the common questions we get on this topic: