Press Materials and other Media Info
Holzschu, Jordan, Schiff & Associates
Newsletter
The Cutting Edge
Volume 5 Issue 1 July 2000
Human Resource information for our clients and Friends
Greetings From
Holzschu, Jordan Schiff & Associates
Human Resource Consultants
Special Harassment Newsletter
Time To Redistribute Your Harassment Policy.
If you have not done so in the last six months, it is time to distribute your harassment policy to all employees. For our clients, this means getting the personnel forms PF-17 (Memo to all Employees on Harassment) and PF-18 (Instructions for Contact Persons) and send the copies to all appropriate people. After distribution, keep a copy in a separate folder so you have a record of the date that each was distributed to the staff.
This distribution is in keeping with the 1998 Supreme Court decisions on harassment and the need to make a good faith effort to educate, train and provide a workplace free from harassment.
Harassment Investigation Package Now Available
We now have a harassment investigation package available for distribution. It consists of the forms for interviewing the victim, the alleged party, and any witnesses identified. There is a recap sheet to use after the investigations. Additionally, there is a harassment policy prepared for distribution to the staff and a set of directions for the contact people that a victim may go to.
Package is available in a printed format or on disk in Word 97.
Contact: Michael Holzschu
248-476-6907
Harassment Training for All Staff Members is Essential
One of the major issues in any defense in a harassment complaint and subsequent litigation or agency intervention, is what did you do to educate and train your staff? Having a strong policy against harassment and redistributing that policy is no longer enough when you are attempting to use an affirmative defense approach. You will need to show that your Company has taken a proactive stance against harassment and have provided some harassment awareness training.
With this in mind, we have co-developed a sexual harassment awareness-training program for any size company. It is done in a PowerPoint format with several different levels of programs. There is also an additional set of presentations for use with new hires. This will help to comply with the new requirements. Version 2000.1 will be available in August 2000.
Human Resource
Compliance Audits
As a continuing service to our clients, we now offer a compliance review of your Human Resource function.
The review consists of 8 major areas consisting of Personnel Files, medical Files, Policy & Procedure Compliance, HR Organizational Documents & Issues, Training & Development, Government Policy/Procedures and Safety.
There are 65 individual areas that are checked to make sure you would be adequately prepared if you were visited by Wage & Hour, EEOC or other government agencies.
The four most common errors found so far in audits that have been completed are:
- Medical information contained in the personnel file.
- I-9 not being properly filled out.
- Application forms not signed.
- Safety programs not up to standards.
Do you know where your organization stands? Is it time for an audit of your procedures and policies to be sure that you are in compliance.
Contact us for additional information on this program.
Application for Employment
If you have not updated your current Application for Employment in a while, it probably is not legal any more. With recent changes made by the EEOC, there are several areas that must be removed from applications.
- Military Information areas.
- Any questions dealing with disabilities and/or accommodation.
- Request for Emergency Contact Information.
- Conviction information should be for felonies only.
These changes are effective immediately and could create a problem in a discrimination complaint situation. If you have not replaced your current Application, contact us to see whether the Short or Long Version is better for your organization. We have both in a Word format that can be customized with your logo.
Need Immigration Answers?
Contact
Michael Benchetrit
Attorney
At
248-932-0990
Practice is limited to Immigration and Naturalization cases only; H1B, L series, etc.
Unemployment & Family Medical Leave
As many of you are probably aware, the US Department of Labor has issued new regulations allowing States to establish the use of Unemployment Funds for paying for Family Medical Leaves. The option rests with each State as to whether or not it will setup an experimental program.
Supposedly, the claim under this program will not be charged back to the individual employer but would be handled as a non-chargeable claim. This will have a potential effect in times when business is slow and unemployment goes up of increasing the overall cost of the unemployment program. Result? All employers would see a potential rate increase if the unemployment fund uses more funds to pay claims then it has.
Express your opinion by contacting your State Representative in Lansing.
Background Checks
You can not afford to not do background checks today. At minimum you should be contacting former employers and documenting what, who, when information. The incident of Negligent Hiring claims is on the rise and part of your Due Diligence is showing that you did check into your new employee's background.
The "Cutting Edge" Newsletter information is provided for your general knowledge only of current events in the Employment Area. It is not to be construed as legal advice. Be sure to get expert assistance before implementing any policy or procedure..
Business Home page | Company Info Index | Press Releases | Contact Us
This document maintained by
mholzschu@hjsa.com.
Material
Copyright © 2000 Holzschu, Jordan, Schiff & Associates