Managing employee absences is one of the trickiest topics under the human resources umbrella. While we say in our employee handbook that regular attendance is an essential function of the job, the day-to-day task of handling employee absenteeism, and juggling the myriad of related legal issues, becomes a nuanced dance through a minefield. These machinations…
Category: Disability Issues
Substance Abuse Issues in the Workplace
I don’t know if it’s the time of year or just the state of the world, but I have been receiving increased client calls about employees under the influence at work. I thought I had written a prior article on this, but apparently not. It consequently seemed a good time to address the…
Controlling Workers’ Compensation Claims and Costs
An informed discussion about controlling the costs of worker’s compensation insurance begs a bit of background about the workers’ compensation framework. How Does Workers’ Compensation Insurance Work? The workers’ compensation system is a compromise. It is not like most types of “legal” claims, which generally require fault on the part of the defendant, here, the…
Managing Real and Claimed Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities in the Workplace
I have written in the past about the surge in mental health issues, such as depression, anxiety, and even suicide. We have also seen a growth in the diagnosis rate of those with OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) and bipolar disorder. The diagnosis rate for developmental disabilities such as ADHD has also been rising. The autism…
Attending to Attendance Issues – Managing Leaves of Absence and Reasonable Accommodations
Managing employee absences is one of the trickiest topics under the human resources umbrella. While we say in our employee handbook that regular attendance is an essential function of the job, the day-to-day task of handling employee absenteeism, and juggling the myriad of related legal issues, becomes a nuanced dance through a minefield. These machinations…