We have an employee who is going on a leave of absence. We will need to hire a temporary employee to cover those duties. What do we need to know about hiring a temporary employee? Answer from Emily, MBA, SPHR: The process for hiring a temporary employee...
We need to terminate an employee due to poor performance. Should we give them a letter outlining why we are terminating them? Answer from Daniel, SHRM-SCP: There is no federal requirement for employers to provide written notice about why someone is being terminated, but we do recommend...
We are considering having different employee handbooks for our exempt and nonexempt employees. Can we have multiple versions of our employee handbook? Answer from Shawna, SHRM-CP: There’s no rule against having multiple employee handbooks, but there are some factors to consider. Having multiple versions would lead to...
For 30 years, HR professionals have been working with the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), a federal law enacted to protect employees’ jobs and medical insurance when they need to take unpaid time away from work for certain family and medical reasons. While FMLA has...
What is the difference between a job description and a job posting? Can I just share the job description when advertising for a role? Answer from Brody, PHR, SHRM-CP: While the job description and the job posting are similar, in that they both outline the duties of...
An employee came to us with a harassment complaint but said they didn’t want us to do anything about it. Do we have to do an investigation? Answer from Sergio, SHRM-CP: Yes, you should still investigate the complaint. Not investigating could expose you to legal risk if...
A candidate told us they have a disability. What do we need to do? Answer from Rachel, SHRM-SCP: We recommend asking if they need an accommodation during the application process, but above all, ensure that having this information doesn’t influence your hiring decision. The Americans with Disabilities...
We have a repeat applicant whom we offered a job to in the past. This candidate failed a drug screen back then, so we rescinded the offer. Can we reject them now based on their past drug screen result? Answer from Kyle, PHR: No, chances are that...
What is “at-will employment”? Does that mean I can fire an employee for any reason? Answer from Marisa, SPHR: At-will employment means that the employer or employee can end the employment relationship for almost any reason (with or without cause) at any time (with or without notice). It...
Can I limit the number of times an employee makes changes to their W-4? Answer from Margaret, PHR, SHRM-CP: No. IRS guidance states that an employee has the right to make changes to their Form W-4 as often as they would like, and you, as the employer,...