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xsafford

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xsafford
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  • Here are two ideas that I have not yet succeeded in persuading our company to adopt. Option 1: Purchase health insurance with a very high deductible (say $5,000 per person). Then create an actual deductible amount for your employees that the c…
    in Cost Containment Medical Comment by xsafford September 2001
  • Some years ago I had a female hourly employee who started acting in a very bizarre manner at work. The HR Manager spoke to her and then sent her home for the day. The next morning she was found in her apartment sitting on the floor, playing the g…
    in Threat of Suicide at Work - FMLA/ADA/STD??? Comment by xsafford June 2001
  • I had a similar employee who heard voices, was sent home and proceeded to murder her brother because the voice told her to. This is a sign of serious mental illness. In your shoes I would personally take this person to a psychiatrist, and the conseq…
    in He hears "voices" Comment by xsafford March 2003
  • Here's a perspective from an alpha male who's worked in large groups of like minded alpha males and some really good females. What you are experiencing may not even be a gender issue. For upper level management, salary justice sometimes has to be fo…
    in Male Perspective Sought Comment by xsafford February 2003
  • There is a way to do this. Identify certain days which will be unpaid days off for exempt employees (and presumably all others as well). A good example would be a summer or Christmas week shutdown. Determine what percent of total annual work days th…
    in Exempts Mandatory Day Off Comment by xsafford February 2003
  • The best thing to say in these circumstances is that an employee is suspended indefinately pending an investigation of the misconduct. This gives you some time to investigate and think things over. I know of no law or regulation with limits this t…
    in Suspension without Pay Comment by xsafford September 2001
  • I can't remember all of the details, but there have been court decisions recently that permit the former employee to take the settlement and use the funds to finance a lawsuit against the former employer. Best bet - make sure the person leaving feel…
    in Are Releases Constitutional? Comment by xsafford August 2001
  • There is a great book by Gavin DeBecker called "The Gift of Fear". In a nutshell the author (a security expert) says that harassers, whatever their motivation, want attention more than anything else. To them a bad response (i.e having them arrest…
    in Domestic Violence in Workplace Comment by xsafford August 2001
  • I'll give you a real life example of proseltising at work doing harm. Some years ago I had a female supervisor who was a lesbian. She never made a public disclosure, but various activities (such as bringing her partner to the company picnic) made…
    in Religion in the workplace Comment by xsafford July 2001
  • I think you need to confront the person right away. It does not have to be in a threatening or punitive manner, but you must assure the safety of all employees. EAP is great as a second step, but first of all you have to take all possible measure…
    in Hearsay threats Comment by xsafford July 2001
  • Try "The Super Supervisor".
    in Analyzing Body Language Comment by xsafford July 2001
  • Get her out of there right now! Not letting her go now will only make it harder later (and there will be a later). This kind of person does not improve with time. That she would make those threats to her mother-in-law should tell you that this is…
    in Should I fire this person? Comment by xsafford June 2001
  • Try "Why do you want this job?". You get the darnedest answers. Of course, the best answer is "I want this job because I love to ......."(the job you are trying to fill).
    in best interview question Comment by xsafford June 2001
  • After some years of dealing with the issue of various complaints via written notes, I have found that the best policy is: "unsigned notes will be discarded unread". An unsigned note is an attempt to coerce you into a course of action that usually…
    in Alcohol Smell (Use) during Work Hours Comment by xsafford June 2001
  • Tester could be for any of the groups you mentioned. Of course it all winds up with the EEOC, so it doesn't really matter that much. One related thought: Assume that all of your want ads in the newspaper or other media will be reviewed by the EEOC…
    in Quick response needed! : Screening out qualified candidates who sound "too black", "too southern", " Comment by xsafford June 2001
  • This one has lawsuit written all over it. For starters you should consider the possibility that this person could be a tester. That is a person whose full-time career is looking for evidence of discrimination so that a lawsuit can be filed. Ev…
    in Quick response needed! : Screening out qualified candidates who sound "too black", "too southern", " Comment by xsafford June 2001
  • One more suggestion: There is a book called "The Gift of Fear" by Gavin DeBecker. It was recommended to me by the psychiatrist of a problem employee we had at my company. In a nut shell, his advice is do not over-react. This type of person wants …
    in Workplace violence Comment by xsafford May 2001
  • In a situation like this I would suggest confronting the employee with the facts. If they have no excuplatory evidence, then I would probably offer them a chance to resign. Depending on the severity, I might or might not challenge their claim for…
    in Termination for stealing Comment by xsafford May 2001