Archive for the ‘Termination, Discipline’ Category
STICK TO THE SCHEDULE
Keeping Employee Tardiness and Absences to a Minimum It would seem unnecessary to have a written policy requiring workers to show up in order to keep their jobs and be paid. Yet employers often experience problems with no shows and tardiness, so it’s best to issue clear written directives mandating attendance, laying out work hours and […]
DRESS FOR SUCCESS
HOW TO ADDRESS THE EMPLOYEE DRESS CODE A well-written dress code and personal appearances policy clearly instructs employees on what type of business attire the company finds appropriate. Depending on the nature of the business enterprise or industry, employers may require employees to wear formal business attire every day. Some implement a more casual dress […]
WAKE UP CALL
Call Center Accused of Ignoring Sexual Harassment Complaints Settles Suit for $3.5 Million The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has announced court approval of a $3.5 million payment to resolve a sexual harassment lawsuit against Irvine, California employer Alorica, Inc., a call center and technology services business. The government alleged the company had condoned […]
OH NO YOU DIDN’T!
What to Do When an Employee Refuses to Sign a Disciplinary Notice Businesses must discipline their employees fairly and consistently in accordance with company policy. An employer should keep proper records of poor performance and misconduct in the worker’s personnel file, including text messages, emails, and formal warnings, along with documentation of the employer’s attempt […]
CAN I BRING MY MONKEY TO WORK?
How to Handle Assistive Animals in the Workplace Upon arriving to work on Monday morning your customer service manager asks if she can bring her monkey to the office. Must management grant her request? It depends. If she needs the monkey to reasonably accommodate her disability, then the employer will most likely have to grant […]
BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE
When It’s Time to Call Your Lawyer No-one likes lawyers … until you need one. Experienced and knowledgeable business managers are usually capable of handling basic employment issues. Yet, laws governing the workplace tend to change frequently and companies can face formal complaints, liabilities and large attorney bills if significant employee disputes or decisions are […]
EMPLOYEE TERMINATIONS
Firing Low-Performing Workers While Limiting Repercussions Mary manages a customer service department in a large company. Other employees and customers have complained about Brad, one of the employees Mary supervises. Most of Brad’s co-workers handle calls without requiring assistance. Yet, for a few months now, as many as 20% of Brad’s calls have had to […]
GENDER DESIGNATIONS IN THE WORKPLACE
“Non-binary” will Join “He” and “She” in California California law prohibits discrimination against employees for their membership in any protected class. This includes gender identity, defined as “each person’s internal understanding of their gender, or the perception of a person’s gender identity, which may include male, female, a combination of male and female, neither male […]
JOB INTERVIEW ERRORS TO AVOID
CareerBuilder Publishes Annual Survey and List of Most Bizarre Hiring Interviews According to a nationwide CareerBuilder Survey released February 22, 2018, “around half of employers (49 percent) know within the first five minutes of an interview if a candidate is a good or bad fit for a position, and only 8 percent make up their […]
BOWLES LAW IN THE NEWS
Partner Cindy Bamforth Featured on KPCC’s “The Frame” Cindy was recently honored by host John Horn to speak on KPCC NPR’s “The Frame” on identifying and preventing sexual harassment in the workplace. This invitation came on the heels of her participation in the Women in Film’s panel discussing sexual harassment in Hollywood. Produced by Southern […]