Tried Twitter but find the deluge of information-sharing too much to manage? If that sounds like you, these web sites and services can help you manage the chatter and enrich your communication:

Whether you’re plowing through an inspirational novel or a business best-seller, turn to these sources for transforming your hardcover into gigabytes: Sony Reader, Audible.com, eBooks.com.

Just won an Illinois whistle-blower case? Don’t rest easy yet! If you’re an employer that’s also covered by federal law, brace yourself for a federal whistle-blower lawsuit, too.

Avoid sending big files back and forth with your boss—try Dropbox, a virtual hard drive ... Hold a web conference free and invite up to 20 guests, with DimDim, which Inc. magazine calls the best in its class ... Print less by taking advantage of the less-popular settings in your Print dialogue box ...

Issue: You're responsible for securing sensitive employee information. Benefits: Privacy measures and policies protect employees from identity theft and privacy invasion. Actions: Refine your privacy policy, institute a proper ...

Disputes between co-workers and between employees and their bosses are almost inevitable—which is why every HR professional must know how to gather the necessary facts to find out what’s going on. Whether it is a small inquiry or a weighty investigation into serious allegations of misconduct, being deliberate and intentional about an investigation will create a more helpful and less disruptive process.

Layoffs, shortened workweeks, stressed-out workplaces … it all can lead to another byproduct of the recession: increasing workloads and work slippage. How are administrative professionals ensuring that, with stakes soaring higher than ever, no work falls through the cracks?

Try these cool Outlook tips: Click-and-drag names to your Contacts list. Eliminate the auto-complete names that appear in the “To” field of your e-mails. Share calendars with others in Outlook 2007 ...

Here’s a reason to slow down and act deliberately when disciplining an employee who has filed an EEOC complaint: A court has concluded that coincidental timing alone can be enough to keep a case alive. That’s true even if it turns out that all the accusations in the EEOC complaint turn out to be unfounded.

Question: "I have hard copy files labeled under "Dr." Do I file first under “D” or do I file under the doctor's name?" — Anonymous
 

When you're not on top of your e-mail, you feel out of control. It can also torpedo your career, since people associate responsiveness with competence. It is possible to clear out your e-mail inbox—and keep it clear—daily. But you must be willing to change your behavior. Here are four steps ...

Times are changing in the world of workplace immigration law. Employers now have to complete a new version of the I-9 Form. The feds just launched “a bold new audit initiative” to punish employers who hire illegals. And starting Sept. 8, thousands of federal contractors are required to use the electronic E-Verify system. Result: a greater risk for immigration-related trouble than ever before ...

When an employee takes FMLA leave, chances are you’ll have to replace him with a temporary employee or assign the work to others. What happens if the fill-in worker discovers that the employee currently out on FMLA leave wasn’t doing as good a job as you thought? Can you then fire the employee while he’s on FMLA leave?

It’s true and here’s why: Because legions of colleagues, current and past, have access to a job candidate’s profile on LinkedIn, their scrutiny keeps the candidate on the up-and-up. So potential hires are far less likely to lie about their job titles or dates of employment on a public profile as compared to a paper résumé.

Do you require employees to sign an agreement to arbitrate workplace disputes as a condition of employment? If so, you don’t lose the right to force the case into arbitration if you don’t ask for it during an EEOC investigation.

With the diminishing time you have to communicate, it’s a good idea to tighten your writing and say everything that needs to be said in half the words. With thought and discipline, you can do great things in small spaces. Here are six tips from Brady Dennis, who as a reporter at the St. Petersburg Times wrote a series of profiles in just 300 words apiece.

Imagine this nightmare scenario: You’ve contracted with a vendor to enter personnel data into a new computer system, including employees' Social Security numbers, addresses, names of dependents, health records and bank account routing numbers. Then the vendor notifies you that employee data was somehow stolen or lost. What do you do?

Be honest with yourself: Do you have a love/hate relationship with Excel? You know the power it wields, but does Excel end up costing you time and stress? Here are a few tips on how to navigate and maximize your spreadsheets:

Imagine typing only about half of what you do now. Keyboard shortcuts may seem like more trouble than they’re worth. But once discovered and practiced, shortcuts can prove to be valuable timesavers. The key is not trying to learn them all...

Q. I recently fired an employee for performance problems. At the end of the termination meeting, he asked for a copy of his personnel file. Do I have to give discharged employees copies of their personnel files?

Reduce the odds that a conversation will bog down when people take things too personally by avoiding statements that begin with “you.” ... Learn how you can add more value at the office by conducting your own “listening tour.”... Stay current on technology by signing up for free e-newsletters. ...

In sharp contrast to optimistic forecasts that technology would rid your company of the “paper monster,” computers seem to have exacerbated the problem. Now, you’re sending, receiving and storing information electronically and printing copies—lots of copies. You may be able to live with the mess, but what will happen someday if you need to get your hands on one of those documents?

American workers can access the Internet, e-mail, instant messaging and other forms of electronic communications from anywhere at anytime. While electronic communication helps people do their jobs, it also leaves a trail. A telephone conversation relies on the memory of two participants, but e-mail and IM discussions can be preserved for years to come. And, given the casual way so many people fire off e-mail these days, that can spell legal trouble for employers.

You schedule a meeting, then hear of a last-minute schedule conflict. A round of rescheduling e-mails only leads to confusion. Locations change, people forget to show up ... the list of common problems goes on. But if you’re a Microsoft Outlook (2002/2003) user, you can rely on Group Schedule to check schedules, fill out meeting requests and send group e-mails.

Before you decide to throw out old evaluations and files, consider this: An employee may sue and refer back to those evaluations from memory. If she remembers nothing but positive performance reviews until a recent poor appraisal (engineered, she believes, to get her fired), you’ll need to be able to show her employment history wasn’t as rosy as she remembers.

Remember the Yellow Pages slogan “Let your fingers do the walking"? Well, forget walking! Instead, check out these web sites that let your fingers do the digging, prospecting and streamlining to help your business grow.

If you're relying solely on your memory to evaluate employee performance, you're making appraisals far more difficult than necessary. That's why it's best to institute a simple recording system to document employee performance. The most useful, easy-to-implement way is to create and maintain a log for each person. Follow these six steps:

What exactly is a tickler file, and what’s the best way to use one? We liked the answer one administrative assistant, Bonnie, gave on our online forum, Admin Pro Forum.

What's a smart HR professional to do when his or her employer is sued and the records you thought would back up management are gone? You can still save the day by locating different electronic or paper correspondence that supports your decisions ...

If you find yourself seeking new employment, consider taking proactive, positive approaches. All hinge on online methods, which 40% of new job seekers use in their searches (2008 Spherion Emerging Workforce Study).

Employers often get into trouble when they punish someone who has filed an internal harassment or discrimination complaint. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t discipline employees for legitimate reasons just because they filed an unrelated complaint. The key is being able to show a good reason for your actions.

Whether they’re shooting off their own “tweets” or following others, workers using Twitter—the fastest-growing social networking site—are creating liability and PR risks with their 140-character rants, raves and company gossip. Advice: Draft a brief policy on  your organization’s expectations for employee’s use of Twitter and other social networking sites (plus video).

Discipline and termination meetings are emotionally charged events that carry the potential for nasty words, hurt feelings and even legal troubles. As a manager, you never know how employees will respond to discipline or firings. But you need to be prepared for anything—including employees who “let it all out” in long, loud rants. Follow these four do’s and don’ts to defuse rants and avoid lawsuits:

How many times have you come up with a more efficient way to accomplish something and wished you could quickly share it with co-workers? You can with collaborative tech tools, says Richard Laermer, media consultant and author of Punk Marketing.

With the diminishing time and attention you have to communicate, it’s a good idea to tighten your communications and say everything that needs to be said in half the words. With thought and discipline, you can do great things in small spaces. Here are some tips from Brady Dennis, who as a reporter at the St. Petersburg Times wrote a series of profiles in just 300 words apiece.

Give those URLs a trim ... Show your e-mail skills by avoiding supersize attachments ... Use the subject line to identify different categories of e-mail ... Feel more rejuvenated after a summer vacation by coming home on a Saturday ...

Q. Do I have to grant employees access to their personnel files?

Florida employees are protected from retaliation for filing workers’ compensation claims. Any move that may be seen as punishment or retaliation—that comes shortly after an employee files for workers’ comp—may lead to a lawsuit based almost entirely on timing alone.

You have disciplinary rules for a reason. They tell employees what to expect and guide managers and supervisors so they don’t inadvertently treat employees who belong to a protected class more harshly than others. But disciplinary rules have to be a little flexible—loose enough to let you distinguish between minor infractions and major ones. Here’s how to strike the right balance.

Q. Are we required to let terminated employees come in and view their personnel files, or can we copy the information and send it via mail? One of our fired employees has hired an attorney and wants to see her file.

If your organization doesn’t have a solid performance evaluation system in place, you’re taking a high-stakes gamble you just might lose. Discharged employees who sue will have a much easier time getting to a jury trial if you can’t produce performance evaluations that back up why you terminated them.

Q. I recently heard that employers must now use a new I-9 form for new employees. Is this true?

Attorney Alison West thinks every HR pro should keep a pen and paper with them at all times. “It will help you get into the habit of documenting,” she said at the SHRM Conference in New Orleans. West believes documentation is crucial to keeping a workplace running right—ensuring fairness, promoting good performance and, most important, winning in court if an employee sues you.

A comprehensive document management system can help your business boost productivity, improve the bottom line and stay out of legal trouble. Here are three ways to organize files for easy retrieval, establish a record retention schedule and tame your wild email inbox.

Catch a second wind by tackling a task on your “Mind Like Mush” list ... Is your boss an ‘allergic-to-details’ type? Keep project files handy that contain details he or she is likely to need ... Find travel deals by booking later ... Spruce up your administrative “portfolio” by adding a dash of visual material.

For more than a decade, Minnesota courts have recognized a person’s right to privacy. Most employers are aware that this right extends to the workplace, but many still run into potential employee-privacy trouble. But with some upfront planning and consideration, HR professionals can help their organizations avoid privacy pitfalls and still protect their interests.

Q. I recently heard that employers are now required to use a new I-9 form for new employees. Is this true?

A New Jersey court has held that e-mails employees send to their attorneys via work computers are not protected by the attorney-client privilege. The court’s willingness to rule that an employer’s right to control how employees use its computer equipment trumps attorney-client privilege is significant. The decision makes it clearer than ever that employers should carefully consider the language they use in their employee handbooks.

There’s a new I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification form for employers to complete when hiring employees and reverifying the employment eligibility of certain employees with temporary work authorization. Make sure you have a properly completed Form I-9 for every employee to avoid legal penalties for hiring unauthorized workers.

Employers that hire outside firms or investigators to conduct employee investigations and background checks must make sure those vendors strictly comply with the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). Failing to do so can result in substantial legal risks, including damages, penalties, fines, punitive damages and attorneys’ fees awards.

Q. How long after employees have left should we retain their files? And if we shred the files, do we have to keep a record of employment date, termination date and any other information?

Employees do the darnedest things, and it’s often up to HR to clean up the resulting mess. Better to have prevented it in the first place. Two recent news stories point out problems that could have been stopped with simple policies on use of technology in the workplace. With the right handbook lingo, much corporate embarrassment could have been avoided.

An employee who files a discrimination complaint is protected from retaliation. But that doesn’t mean employers can’t make everyday moves—such as transferring someone who once complained of bias—without risking a lawsuit.

Q. As an alternative to layoffs, our company has cut employee wages. We decided to do that instead of reducing their hours. While the employees have agreed to this (hopefully) temporary measure, supervisors have received reports that workers have been discussing their new wages and salaries with one another. Our executives want to direct all employees not to discuss their wages and salary information with others. Is it legal to enforce such a rule?

Sometimes, a supervisor or manager may favor a subordinate for a promotion because he shares some other relationship that has nothing to do with work. That doesn’t always mean there’s discrimination going on. Protect your organization by using a promotion panel to score and interview candidates. That way, you can root out any favoritism that could affect the promotions process.

Employees do the darnedest things, and HR and managers frequently wind up trying to undo the damage. Our newest webinar — Today's Most Bizarre Recent Workplace Cases: How to Prevent Outrageous Workplace Behavior (May 28) — tells tales of outrageous employee behavior ... and the lawsuit against the employer that followed. Here’s our take on the topic, with cases pulled from the pages of our HR Specialist newsletters.

The new economic stimulus law subsidizes the cost of continuing COBRA medical coverage for some employees who have lost, or will lose, their jobs. But the burden of paying the rest of the premiums has shifted to employers. Strategy: Recoup the cost ASAP.

When it comes to making job offers, your hiring managers could be inadvertently locking your organization into an employment contract with the new hire. It’s a common mistake, and only a few words can send you down the wrong path. Follow these six do’s and don’ts when offering a job:

With the economy slowing down, now is the best time to fine-tune your LinkedIn or Facebook profile, fleshing out the blank spaces and figuring out how to take advantage of those social networking sites. Here are a few tips.

Clear the deck, scrub it down and start over? Remove everything and put back only what you need? In your dreams! If "cluttered desk," "cluttered mind" is your motto and purging your work station of clutter is only a dream, approach it one problem at a time. Use these seven steps to "declutter" ...

The first-time homebuyer credit created by last year’s housing law didn’t do much to stimulate home sales throughout the country. But the new economic stimulus law sweetens the pot. Most homeowners no longer have to repay the credit! Strategy: Encourage family members to pounce on this juicy tax break.

If you haven’t already taken appropriate measures to comply with New York’s new privacy law that took effect in January, do so now before the Commissioner of Labor moves to assess civil penalties. Amendments to the New York Labor Law now require employers to protect employees from identity theft and other potential privacy problems.

It’s a fact that employees who think they are in trouble will look for ways to avoid termination—or profit from it. So it should come as no surprise if an employee files an EEOC discrimination complaint after you discipline him and warn that he may soon be terminated.

Each year, new employment laws go on the books and courts write thousands upon thousands of decisions interpreting old laws. Yet, year after year, many HR professionals reach up onto a dusty shelf to hand new employees the same old employee handbook someone wrote years ago—too often without a second of consideration whether the contents still pass legal muster.

Employers have two important HR duties to add to their to-do lists this week: 1) Ensure that this week’s payroll reflects more generous federal income tax withholding levels mandated by the economic stimulus law enacted in February; 2) Start using the new Form I-9 on Friday, April 3 ...

Mounting layoffs are creating a glut of qualified and aggressive job hunters who are desperate for work. As their frustration grows, more applicants are reading deeper into their rejection letters—sometimes spotting job promises or hints of discrimination that you never intended.

Q. What kinds of information and documents should we keep in our personnel files?

A. You should include pretty much all documentation concerning an employee’s history with the company—attendance, pay history, job history, discipline and evaluations—except medical documentation and, perhaps, protected activity information concerning matters such as discrimination and harassment complaints.

Q. In New York, does a terminated employee have the right to see his personnel file or other documents?

It can happen to the best manager or HR professional. You discipline or demote an employee, and then, when she files an internal grievance or asks the company to reconsider, you conclude she shouldn’t have been disciplined or demoted in the first place. What should you do?

If you have to terminate an employee, don’t fall into a trap that can easily lead to a lawsuit. Don’t provide conflicting reasons for the termination or drop one when the employee or the EEOC asks for details.

A comprehensive document management system can help your business boost productivity, improve the bottom line and stay out of legal trouble. Here are three ways to organize files for easy retrieval, establish a record retention schedule and tame your wild email inbox.

Mounting layoffs are creating a glut of qualified and aggressive job hunters who are desperate for work. As their frustration grows, more applicants are reading deeper into their rejection letters—sometimes spotting job promises or hints of discrimination that you never intended.

America’s foremost business philosopher, Jim Rohn, says the biggest mistake people make is thinking they work for someone else, rather than themselves. When you pretend that you work for yourself, you’re more apt to take initiative. Here's why.

The massive new “American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009” signed by President Obama on Feb. 17 is bursting at the seams with tax breaks designed to help both individuals and small businesses. Here’s a roundup of 14 tax strategies under the new law.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is actively encouraging employers to use computerized versions of the federal I-9 employment eligibility verification form. Is it time for you to ditch your paper I-9s? These pros and cons will help you decide.

Employee absences are costing your business more than twice as much as health care, two recent surveys reveal. Cutting even a fraction of absences can have a potent impact on your organization’s bottom line—an attractive possibility in a tight economy when employers need workers to be as productive as possible.

Much more than a gatekeeper, a good executive assistant can double or triple a boss’s efficiency by staying one step ahead of him or her. The more an assistant can predict an executive’s needs, the less he or she will need to interrupt.

Q. How long do I have to keep employees’ personnel files after their terminations?

What if an employee files a discrimination complaint with the EEOC and then suddenly finds herself having to work with someone she deems undesirable? Can she sue and allege that transferring the person she doesn’t like into her work section amounts to retaliation for filing the EEOC complaint?

Q. We're cleaning up our personnel files and updating emergency contact information. Some employees don't want to provide their contact information. Is it legal for us to require them to give it to us?

Small business owners usually aren't HR professionals. Figuring out how to effectively — and legally — manage your personnel records is often a daunting task. But, developing a records retention schedule will ensure that a small business keeps the records it needs for operational, legal, fiscal or historical reasons, and then destroys them when they're no longer useful.

Use your laptop to squeeze more productivity out of meetings: Share data; brainstorm better; take and distribute meeting notes digitally.

Your boss just can't seem to get it together when it comes to managing his or her time? Your boss is always late for meetings, can't seem to make decisions quickly and doesn’t churn out projects in a timely manner. In short, he or she is making both of you look bad. What can you do?

These days, most small businesses rely—either somewhat or heavily—on software applications. According to a new report by PC World magazine, here are 15 of the best free and low-cost software tools for powering any small or midsize business.

Effective April 3, 2009, employers in the United States are required to use a revised version of the I-9 form. Here are the details, plus a Q&A from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) ... 

Whether or not you’re actively looking for a job, it pays to ratchet up your professional image outside your office. (After all, you never know who might google your name.) For that, the e-portfolio can be your most powerful tool.

Lawsuits may be inevitable in today’s litigious society, but losing them is not. Follow these 10 rules to prevent the most common employment-related lawsuits—or at least increase your chances of winning them.

Wyoming has the best tax system, and New Jersey the worst, for “business friendliness,” reports the Tax Foundation’s 2009 State Business Tax Climate Index.

From surveys of employees' lifelong dreams to alumni reunions to baby showers for moms-to-be, here's a rundown of seven innovative benefits practices employers are using to reward and retain the staff they need. They're compiled from the popular "What's Working" pages of HR Specialist's Compensation & Benefits newsletter.

Employers have a number of immigration compliance issues to track in 2009, affecting the Employment Eligibility Verification Form I-9, business travel, no-match letters and employment authorization documentation.

Marsha Bartel was an award-winning NBC journalist working on the “Dateline NBC” television show. NBC fired her, claiming it was laying off staff. She sued, alleging NBC had fired her for complaining that the show was not adhering to NBC’s internal ethical standards. The case offers some important reminders about how to handle termination of at-will employees.

Thanks to flashy tools, you can compose and distribute business slide shows online in novel ways. You may have heard about Google’s web-based presentation tool, where several collaborators can work on a slide deck simultaneously in real time. Here are other ways to give your bullet points added impact.

Erik Forman, a barista at a Minneapolis Starbucks who claimed he was fired in July for promoting a union drive, is pouring ventes again after the java giant settled a National Labor Relations Board complaint he filed.

Employees do the darnedest things, and HR frequently winds up trying to undo the damage. One of the highlights of HR Specialist’s upcoming Labor and Employment Law Advanced Practices Symposium will be a session on “The Most Bizarre Recent Workplace Cases—and What You Can Learn from Them.” Here’s our take on the topic, with cases pulled from the pages of HR Specialist newsletters.

Handling the sudden needs of aging parents is likely to be a major workplace disruption in the next few years. Why? The senior population in need of daily care is set to rise nearly 40% in the next decade. Here’s how to prepare for the crisis.

Kathy Walters made many sideways moves, sometimes running different functions for three or four years at a clip. “All this so I could really understand the trade-offs you make in leadership,” says Walters, an executive vice president at Georgia-Pacific.

It’s easy to understand why supervisors and managers get upset when one of their subordinates files an EEOC complaint. After all, how can you not take it personally if someone says you discriminated based on race or sex or for some other illegal reason? But the worst thing those managers and supervisors can do is punish the subordinate.

An employee who works for a government agency or other public employer and files an internal grievance may be protected from retaliation. That’s because the grievance may be protected First Amendment speech, against which the employer can’t retaliate.

Q. A former employee has contacted our HR manager demanding a copy of her personnel file. Must we make this available?

U.S. employers must begin using a revised version of the I-9 Form starting Feb. 2. Employers that use the current edition of the I-9 (dated 06/05/2007) after Feb. 2 may be subject to fines.

The New Jersey Supreme Court has ruled for the first time on the proof employees must offer to make a religion-based hostile work environment claim stick. The case, Cutler v. Dorn, established that New Jersey courts must decide workplace religious discrimination claims using the same legal standards they use in racial and gender discrimination claims.

Say your CEO tasks you with cutting HR department costs. You know technology can help slay that cost dragon, but you have no idea where to start. Instead of combing through hundreds of vendor web sites, use these nonbiased resources to search for the right HR tech products.

Google Spreadsheets is Web-based software that allows you to create new spreadsheets online, or to import and share existing Microsoft Excel files.

Sometimes, it seems employees and their lawyers can take even the most innocent event or evidence and find a way to twist it into a discrimination case. That’s why it’s important for employers to have solid reasons for all decisions. You never know when someone is going to second-guess you ...

Poor performers who think they have been discriminated against when fired, demoted or otherwise disciplined can still win a lawsuit—if they can show that others outside their protected class were just as lousy but didn’t receive the same discipline. Be ready to defend yourself with solid, carefully documented proof...

Q. Recently, an employee left our company to join a competitor. When we took a look at his computer, we found deleted e-mails and files indicating he downloaded some valuable information about our customers. We suspect he transferred it to our competitor. He was an at-will employee and we had no employment agreement with him. Is there anything we can do about this?

Managing the stream of email that gathers in your inbox every day can feel like an impossible task. Slim down your filing system into this “trusted trio” of action-based folders.

Some employees have chips on their shoulders—everything is always someone else’s fault, not theirs. They constantly pester supervisors and higher-ups with complaints about discrimination, retaliation and general unfairness. How is an employer supposed to deal with such constant whining? ...

If you join online networks like Facebook or LinkedIn, make it worth the effort. Follow these tips to get the most out of online networking.

Both the ADA and the FMLA have strict requirements for how employers must handle employees’ confidential medical information. HR professionals need to know these rules to comply with both acts—and to avoid expensive legal liability for failing to do so.

No matter how hard you work to make sure your workplace is a model of fairness and civility, you can’t rule out the possibility that an employee will come to HR with a claim that she’s being forced to work in a racially or sexually hostile environment. How you handle that complaint may make the difference between nipping an ugly problem in the bud and paying a huge jury award.

Both the ADA and the FMLA have strict requirements for how employers must handle employee’s confidential medical information. HR professionals must know these rules to comply with both laws—and to avoid expensive legal liability for failing to do so. Here are the details you need.

Q. I have been asked to screen applicants for several positions. Can we lawfully ask selected candidates to submit to physical exams or drug testing? ...

Some employees have chips on their shoulders—everything is always someone else’s fault, not theirs. They constantly pester supervisors and higher-ups with complaints about discrimination, retaliation and general unfairness. How is an employer supposed to deal with such constant whining? ...

Federal law says employers are allowed, but not required, to make copies of the drivers' licenses and other documents that their employees show for I-9 purposes. But is it legally wise to make those copies? Attorneys are split on the issue. Here's our analysis, plus answers to six common I-9 questions ...

An ill-worded e-mail, unlike a phone conversation, can come back to haunt you. Deleting e-mail doesn’t mean it’s gone forever, or that a recipient hasn’t saved, printed or forwarded it. Plus, there are plenty of computer experts out there who can recreate or retrieve deleted e-mail messages. The best policy is to assume that whatever is in an e-mail can be used against you in a court of law ...

The best way to prevent lawsuits is to carefully document every employment decision. HR professionals and supervisors should be able to show exactly when a decision was made, who made it and what the basis for the decision was ...

Sometimes, it seems employees and their lawyers can take even the most benign evidence and find a way to twist it into a discrimination case — even something as innocent as including photographs of applicants and employees in personnel files.

Can’t bring yourself to weed through that pile of catalogs? Here’s a great reader tip on streamlining your catalog files ...

In many cases, the best candidates for your job openings aren’t in the job market. They’re happily employed elsewhere, and they need a major incentive to show up at your door for an interview. A new start-up job board intends to create that incentive ...

Employers must prepare themselves for the very real possibility that the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) will become a reality next year. If passed and signed into law, the EFCA would dramatically change the way unions organize workers and how unions and employers negotiate initial collective bargaining agreements.

For the boss whose drawers and briefcase are whitened with business cards and receipts, it might be time for this tech solution: Neat Receipts (www.neatreceipts.com).

Wow clients and others in your network by sending handwritten notes to thank, follow up with or congratulate. Video producer Ellen Barnard says she always sends handwritten notes or flowers to clients, and “they’re left with the impression that I’m really good at what I do.” ...

Don't have a fancy smartphone? These add-on tools can make your cell phone as much of a workhorse as an iPhone.

It's a deceptively simple concept: You have to pay nonexempt employees for every hour they work. But employers often trip over interpretation of that law when it comes to exceptions such as meal and rest breaks. Here's a plain-English explanation of a sometimes tricky situation. PLUS! Find out what workers are really doing on their coffee breaks!

The Department of Homeland Security has, for the second time, issued a final rule on what employers must do when they receive "no-match" letters questioning the employment eligibility of their workers. Immigrant-right groups are preparing to oppose the rule. Next stop: a federal court in California, where a judge will decide whether the new rule is constitutional.

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has limited the way state employees can sue the agencies where they work for violating their rights under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA). State employees can’t go to federal court with their claims. Instead, they must sue in state court ...

State Auditor Les Merritt has released a preliminary report concluding that the State Ethics Commission is “hiding facts from the public” regarding its termination of commission office assistant Amanda Thaxton and a related investigation into whether it gave Democratic gubernatorial candidate Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue preferential treatment ...

Is tape backup the best solution for your critical information ?

A comprehensive document management system can help your business boost productivity, improve the bottom line and stay out of legal trouble. Here are three ways to organize files for easy retrieval, establish a record retention schedule and tame your wild email inbox.

Congress is considering legislation that would create a new mandatory electronic employment eligibility verification system to replace the current, widely criticized E-Verify program. HR groups are applauding, in part because 90% of employers already use the software on which it is based. Learn more about a proposal that could greatly simplify a cumbersome process.

Avoid wading through page after page of search results by making your Google searches more targeted. Here’s how to get exactly what you need.

Local salary data? Compliance advice? HR professionals are constantly trawling the web to dredge up answers. To improve your chances of finding exactly what you need, follow these search tips ...

Final approval of a new I-9—plus the government's recent decision to back off on new rules for handling no-match letters—brings to a close a busy fall season in which employers’ role in immigration enforcement has been in the spotlight. What does it all mean for HR?

HR Law 101: Under the Immigration Reform and Control Act, new employees must provide to employers proof of identity and employment eligibility with documents listed on the I-9 Form ....

For most employees, regular attendance is a key job function. But while you are free to set and enforce attendance rules, you must also comply with key federal laws, including the FMLA and the ADA.

HR Law 101: The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA), signed into law in May 2008, prohibits employers with 15 or more employees from discriminating against job applicants or employees based on their genetic information in hiring, firing, compensation or any other terms of employment.

In Michigan’s current tough economy, many laid off or fired workers are filing for bankruptcy. But that doesn’t mean former employees have given up on filing employment-related lawsuits. But these tight times have given employers an additional tool for finding out what they’re up against if they are sued ...

The Bullard-Plawecki Employee Right to Know Act gives employees the right to review their personnel records. The law requires employees to make written requests to look at the files before they seek legal redress. Keep a clear record of all requests ...

Q. One of our employees is having disagreements with his supervisor over performance issues. The employee has asked to see his personnel file. Does he have a legal right to see his file? ...

Q. What kinds of information and documents should we keep in our personnel files? ...

Q. In addition to the official personnel files we keep in HR, our supervisors keep informal or working files. Is this allowed? Does this practice present any concerns? ...

Q. My company has a policy prohibiting all workers from discussing their pay with other employees. Is this legal? ...

The setting for a termination meeting can be crucial in preventing an unexpected charge—false imprisonment. To avoid unfounded false imprisonment charges, make certain termination meetings are private, yet open. Allow the employee to sit by the door, with nothing blocking her exit ...

HR Law 101: Two laws govern U.S. immigration policy: the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 and the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) of 1986, which was amended in 1990. For each new employee hired, U.S. employers must complete a Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification. The I-9 establishes the employee’s identity and legal work status.

When employers make employment decisions based on sex stereotypes about caregivers or favor employees who don’t have family responsibilities, affected employees can successfully sue for family responsibilities discrimination (FRD) ...

Q. I was recently hired as the first-ever HR director for a company that has been in business for more than 40 years. While reviewing employee files, I was aghast to find applications from the late ’70s and early ’80s asking very inappropriate questions—the applicant’s political party, religious faith and even family planning goals. I know times have changed, and the company’s applications have been EEO-compliant for more than 20 years. But I worry that the company will get in trouble with the EEOC or other government agencies if the old applications are found in our files. Should I have older employees who filled out the inappropriate applications all those years ago complete and submit current EEO-compliant applications? ...

Gone are the days when employers didn’t have to justify reorganizations or layoffs. Now—given the prevalence of electronic communications—you can expect a court to ask you to produce just about every piece of information used to determine who lost their jobs and who kept them ...

The New Year often brings a flurry of activity from the many federal government agencies that address employment issues, and 2008 is no exception. We’ve got good news on employers’ control over workplace e-mail, bad news for employers who discriminate and mixed news for those who want to hire foreign workers.

Hillsborough County Parks Manager Thomas Goins is in jail after pleading guilty to downloading child pornography. A co-worker who found disturbing images on Goins’ work laptop alerted authorities ...

Employers that give in to the temptation to punish a troublemaker for complaining about alleged discrimination set themselves up for a retaliation lawsuit. The irony, of course, is that often the underlying discrimination complaint will amount to nothing, while the retaliation case snowballs out of control. Even minor changes to an employee’s work schedule, routine or tasks may mean a large retaliation jury verdict ...

When it comes to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), unpaid overtime claims are perhaps the most feared charges. It’s important to have solid records showing the hours worked, even for exempt employees. If it turns out the employee should have been classified as nonexempt, you’ll have to provide compelling evidence of the hours the employee actually worked ...

According to a recent Northern District of Illinois federal trial court ruling, the EEOC doesn’t have to give employers more than a modicum of information when it files a federal discrimination lawsuit. Apparently, it’s enough to start a lawsuit with only general allegations that an employer “engaged in unlawful employment practices” ...

Few HR dilemmas are as sticky as dealing with an employee accused of stealing from the company. Here's how to handle the situation with care, making sure your organization doesn't overstep its bounds and expose itself to liability.

Many employers have strict policies on giving references for current or former employees seeking other jobs: Keep it simple—dates of employment, positions held and pay rates. But sometimes supervisors supply glowing recommendations anyway. They need to know that if they do, they had better be willing to stick with the accolades, even if their relationships with the employees change ...

Searching for a way to send and receive faxes through e-mail, so you can banish the time-consuming, paper-eating fax machine?

In the age of e-mail, instant messaging and other written but ephemeral forms of communication, it’s easy to be caught off guard when an employee claims sexual harassment via the company computers. If an employee says she’s received hundreds of sexually explicit e-mails from co-workers or others associated with the company, could you prove her wrong? ...

Here’s a test that measures your broad knowledge of the HR field. From the FMLA to comp and benefits to employee behavior you’d rather not know about, we’ve got the questions. Do you have the answers?

It’s frustrating when an employee you don’t think is seriously injured files a workers’ compensation claim, especially months after the alleged injury. However, you must resist the temptation to react negatively—for example, by bad-mouthing the employee ...

Your organization could be missing out on some top talent if you shrug off the new high-tech applications and résumé tools that could someday make paper résumés obsolete. Here are some of the more popular high-tech methods that candidates (especially young ones) are using to market themselves, plus some of the advantages and disadvantages of welcoming them ...

If, like many employers, you would rather avoid litigation by relying instead on arbitration to settle workplace disputes, you probably know that employees still may take their claims to the EEOC. That’s because the agency claims an interest in knowing whether employers are following the nation’s anti-discrimination laws. But it’s perfectly legal to force an employee into arbitration over those same claims ...

Q. Am I required by law to give my employees copies of documents contained in their personnel files? ...

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has just released a revised Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, for immediate use and a new M-274, Handbook for Employers, Instructions for Completing the Form I-9 ...

Q. If a Texas-based company has divisions in several other states, does the Texas law allowing employers to deny employees a look at their personnel files still apply? ...

Q. Our office manager wants to move to a paperless system. Are there any documents that we must maintain in paper form? ...

When actor George Clooney was admitted into the Palisades Medical Center in North Bergen after a motorcycle accident, staffers scrambled to get a glimpse of the star. Others apparently contented themselves with a peek at his medical files ...

Q. We’re drowning in paper and would like to go paperless. Can we create strictly electronic personnel and payroll records? — T.P., Indiana ...

Does your organization have a rule against removing company documents from the workplace? If not, consider adding one. Documents should remain on the premises, and allowing them to “walk” can spell big trouble. For example, employees may be tempted to remove and copy documents they think will aid a later lawsuit against the company ...

That old stalwart of HR paperwork—the I-9—finally got its much-anticipated face lift. On Nov. 7, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services issued a new version of the Employment Eligibility Verification Form (Form I-9). Start using it now!

The Internet lets employers can find out much more about prospective employees than they could just a few years ago. One sort of web site of interest to employers doing background checks: the government’s sex offender registries. Follow these guidelines to use that information responsibly—and legally.

Timing is everything, especially when it comes to retaliation. That’s why it’s crucial for supervisors and managers to understand: Once an employee has filed a complaint, don’t suddenly start enforcing rules you let slide before. If you do, the likely result will be a retaliation lawsuit ...

Q. We have several supervisors who insist on keeping their own private files on employees in their departments, especially to record absences and comp days. Is this legal? ...

An Ohio Office of Management and Budget intern was fired, and a manager has resigned after someone broke into the intern’s car and stole a computer disc containing sensitive state payroll and accounting information ...

A former examiner for the state Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) has sued under the state’s whistle-blower act, claiming he was fired for trying to prevent illegal immigrants from getting licenses ...

Sometimes employees file discrimination complaints just to see if their employers will retaliate in some way. Then they hit back with a retaliation claim. It’s a classic trap—and it doesn’t matter if the original complaint was weak. Don’t fall for it. Instead, make sure you treat the employee exactly as you would have if he hadn’t filed the complaint ...

Michigan employees are entitled to look at their personnel files, and the Michigan Employee Right to Know Act sets out the procedure and penalties for employers that don’t allow access. Employees can sue for attorneys’ fees if their employers refuse access, provided they follow the rules. As the following case shows, courts take that requirement literally ...

Planned Parenthood Centers of West Michigan in Grand Rapids won a race discrimination case filed by a black health care specialist, who was fired for falsifying patient records and dispensing emergency contraceptive pills (ECPs) without required staff approvals ...

Performance appraisals are valuable tools to help put struggling employees back on track. But a low rating also can spur poor performers to consider legal action: Many discrimination suits have been launched on the wings of a poor performance appraisal. Fortunately, employers with solid appraisal systems usually have built-in defenses against such charges ...

Peter Giaccio Jr., a boilermaker for New York City’s Department of Transportation (DOT), sued the department for leaking the results of a random drug test that revealed marijuana use. Giaccio, being in a “safety-sensitive” position, was subject to random testing, which he failed twice ...

Q. Recently, an employee was involved in a nonwork-related car accident. The employee’s attorney sent the company an authorization letter demanding that we provide the employee’s personnel file in 20 days. It seems the attorney needs the information for a potential lawsuit (unrelated to the company) concerning the accident. Do we have to turn over the personnel file? ...

Q. I’ve read that we shouldn’t keep employees’ I-9s in their personnel files. Is this a suggestion or are there laws that require them to be in separate files? —L.K., Alabama ...

Q. An employee orally requested that we provide him with a copy of his personnel file. Employee files are voluminous, and we would prefer not to provide a copy if we don’t have to. Are we required to copy the file for our employee? Can we require that the employee copy the file on his own time? ...

Nothing raises suspicion among judges and juries more than inconsistent explanations. For example, shifting reasons for firing someone can backfire. You’re courting trouble if the employee filed a discrimination claim with your HR office or the EEOC or sued your organization before being fired. The key to a clean discharge—especially when the employee has filed discrimination charges—is picking a legitimate reason for firing the employee and sticking with it ...

E-mail is a great business tool, but sometimes it makes one yearn for the bad old days of neatly typed (and proofread) memos in interoffice envelopes. Here are five tips to share with employees to keep e-mailing safe and productive, rather than embarrassing and destructive.

Florida employers were required to have smoke-free workplaces since the mid-1980s, but the state recently amended the Florida Clean Indoor Air Act to comply with the Florida Health Initiative. The law prohibits smoking in an “enclosed indoor workplace” with the exception of ...

Together, the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 and the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) of 1986 govern U.S. immigration policy. IRCA was amended in 1990. With each new law, employers gain new responsibilities. For each new employee hired, U.S. employers must complete a Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification. The I-9 establishes the employee’s identity and his or her legal work status. Employers can hire only those who are eligible to work legally in this country ...

When a former employee sues and you think the lawsuit is frivolous, resist the temptation to belittle or punish the employee by discussing the case. Small talk can mean a big payday for a former employee who finds out and files a defamation lawsuit. What’s more, you could be personally liable if a jury finds you acted vengefully or with ill will. The best advice: Don’t discuss pending lawsuits. If you say nothing, you can’t be accused of slander ...

A U.S. District Court judge has issued a temporary restraining order that stops the Department of Homeland Security from enforcing new rules on how employers must respond to no-match letters. A groups of civil liberties and labor organizations filed a lawsuit charging that the agency doesn't have the authority to use Social Security records to crack down on illegal immigration.

When it comes to discrimination, your best defense is treating everyone absolutely equally. That’s tough to do without a central HR tracking system. It doesn’t have to be complicated. Make sure you note any problems (and praise) in each employee’s official file. Then, do regular audits—pulling out data on age, sex, national origin and race—to tabulate types of problems and any discipline levied ...

Q. Who has the right to view personnel files? ...

How? “Tubes” is a free download that allows you to drag and drop files into a virtual tube to deliver documents instantly. It creates secure peer-to-peer connections (or “tubes”) between your machine and another one ...

The Department of Homeland Security just published final regulations that provide guidance to employers on how to respond to "no-match" letters, which notify employers of discrepancies with employees' Social Security numbers. If you follow those steps correctly, you’ll earn immunity from penalties if illegal workers are found at your business. How can you comply? Read on.

The Retaliatory Employment Discrimination Act (REDA) is North Carolina’s super anti-discrimination law combining elements of several federal laws, including Title VII, the Fair Labor Standards Act, OSHA and USERRA. The Employment Discrimination Bureau in the state Department of Labor (www.nclabor.com/edb/edb.htm) enforces REDA ...

Immigration reform was a hot topic in Washington during the first half of 2007, but Congress ultimately failed to pass legislation to tighten enforcement of decades-old laws that regulate which foreign-born workers are eligible to work in the United States. Fairly or not, look for employers and the HR functions to bear much of the enforcement responsibilities. Your best bet: Make sure you document employees’ eligibility to work by thoroughly completing and maintaining up-to-date I-9 forms ...

Unfortunately, your HR personnel files are a goldmine for identity thieves, filled with all kinds of juicy personal data. But a new court ruling shows that the rise in identity theft doesn’t excuse employees from disclosing their SSNs to employers ...

Even the fastest computer could profit from a few tricks that make everyday tasks easier or faster. Here are four free tools that HR professionals can benefit from ...

The new federal minimum wage of $5.85 per hour means you need to put up new posters – even if your state's minimum wage is higher. We're making it easy to comply. You can download and print official U.S. Labor Department posters – for FREE – directly from the HR Specialist web site.

While employees are off work on FMLA leave, things may change at the office. Work space may be realigned and reassigned, for example. But employers are obligated to return FMLA leave-takers to the same or an equivalent position after the leave expires. Does that mean the employee must get the same desk, office or location? Not necessarily ...

Q One of our employees has just filed a complaint with the company claiming that she has been sexually harassed. We are concerned that if we discipline the alleged harasser based on our findings and note this incident in his personnel file, he may demand to inspect our investigation records. May we avoid this by maintaining a separate investigation file?

It’s a nightmare to keep paper copies of all our employees’ time sheets. I can scan them and save them in electronic format. Can I throw out the paper copies after I scan them in?

Some of our managers keep personnel files that they don’t share with HR. Basically, these are “journals” about their employees. Is that OK, or should everything be kept in a centralized personnel file?

A Plant City woman has filed suit against 5-D Tropical, a Tampa fish farmer and importer, for AIDS discrimination ...

If you don’t have a sexual harassment policy (or if no one pays attention to the one you have), watch out! You’ll have to pay compensatory damages if an employee can prove he or she was sexually harassed—and you also could pay punitive damages ...

While some may think it’s all in good fun, no employee should be the butt of bad jokes or other potentially embarrassing and humiliating conduct. Once started, such behavior often takes on a life of its own. It then becomes difficult to stop ...

Sometimes, it’s impossible to manage multiple shifts and satisfy everyone. Someone is bound to come to work unhappy ...

Five former employees who say they were fired for being too old and costly have hit PPG Industries, Inc., the Pittsburgh-based paint, glass and chemical giant, with a class-action lawsuit ...

When an employee files an EEOC claim and the federal agency decides to dismiss it, that employee has up to 90 days to file a lawsuit on his or her own behalf. But it’s a different story with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act (PHRA) ...

Two former Coca-Cola employees who tried to sell trade secrets to PepsiCo will serve prison terms and pay $40,000 in restitution ...

Q. A more senior employee was recently passed over for a promotion because a newer employee is clearly more qualified. Now that this person is the boss, the more senior employee has filed several petty complaints against her. Although we are aware that these complaints are completely invalid, as the HR department, we have to take them seriously. But it is a shame for the new supervisor to have the complaints piling up in her file. Is this considered harassment?

Just a few months ago, the U.S. Supreme Court established a broad new legal standard for judging whether an employer has retaliated against an employee for complaining about discrimination (Burlington Northern v. White). Now, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals has applied the standard to its first retaliation case after the Supreme Court decision. The news is good for employers ...

Good news for employers: If an employee files an overtime claim with the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry and the department settles the case and collects wages for the employee, the employee can't turn around and also sue under the FLSA ...

Q. Must I give employees copies of their reviews, terminations or disciplinary items? They are in their personnel files, but I don’t want them running to an attorney. We are not terminating or disciplining employees with any illegal intent, but these days you can never be too careful. –A.D.

Q. We had an employee who was not working out. We gave her the choice of resigning or being terminated. She chose to resign. We were happy because we understand that an employee who resigns is not entitled to unemployment compensation under Texas law? Are we right?—S.G.

Two facility managers for ChildNet, the agency that runs Broward County’s child welfare system, were fired after being implicated in several thefts at the agency ...

Have you offered a well-qualified applicant a lower-ranking position than her experience indicates she’s qualified to perform? If so, better make sure there’s no sex disparity in your hiring patterns ...

The most direct route to a hostile-work-environment lawsuit is to ignore complaints. Do nothing and your liability builds with each new complaint ...  

Illinois law protects employees against retaliation for filing workers’ compensation claims. To help your organization avoid needless litigation ...

Employees pursuing legal actions against their employers sometimes snoop around to see what documentary “evidence” of wrongdoing they can find around the office. Protect yourself by having a clear policy against such unauthorized document distribution ...

If your organization is like many, someone in HR ultimately decides whether to terminate an employee for poor performance based on supervisor recommendations and supporting documents, such as performance reviews. That can spell trouble if there’s more going on than meets the eye ...

Michigan employers will have a new set of responsibilities when the state’s new security-breach notification law takes effect on July 2. Under the law, owners and licensers of databases are required to notify Michigan residents whose personal information has been accessed by an unauthorized person. Failure to provide timely notice will subject employers to both fines and civil lawsuits ...

If an upcoming reduction in force (RIF) will affect older workers, create a paper trail to demonstrate compliance with the Older Workers Benefit Protection Act ...

Warn your supervisors that if they quickly schedule negative employee reviews—particularly after an employee files a complaint—they could appear to be papering the employee's file in advance of a retaliatory firing, which won't look good in court ...

More than half (52 percent) of 1,000 college students surveyed said they believe it's OK, even in the workplace, to download or swap illegal software or files, according to a Business Software Alliance report ...

Q. I support the concept of permitting employees to view their personnel files upon request, but I want to know if any law or regulation requires us to provide access. If so, where can I find out about this law/regulation? I’ve been unable to find the rule, and I’m beginning to suspect that we’ve passed this “law” around so long in HR that we believe it exists. –R.C., Alabama

Q. Are we required to let terminated employees come in and view their actual personnel files, or can we copy the information and send it via mail? One of our fired employees has hired an attorney and wants to see her file. —T.M. California

More employers are requiring employees to solve employment disputes through arbitration. But courts are quick to invalidate mandatory arbitration agreements that don't meet the letter of the law. Don't back off mandatory arbitration because of legal uncertainties; just make sure to follow these seven rules ...

One wrong move (especially during the firing process) can send employees running for courthouse. Teach supervisors to avoid unnecessarily angering employees by pointing out the following common mistakes ...

Undocumented immigrants now make up almost 5 percent of the U.S. work force, according to a new Pew Hispanic Center study. The number of people living illegally in the country rose by at least 400,000 last year ...

Because customer service employees are on your front lines every day, don't just rely on a résumé and a good first impression to choose such vital personnel. New low-cost online tests can help you determine who has the right stuff ...

If you’ve never heard of “family-responsibility discrimination,” or FRD, you soon will. The EEOC has issued new guidance to help employers understand how federal anti-bias laws apply to workers with caregiving duties.  The result: Expect more awareness (and lawsuits) from employees , plus more enforcement from the EEOC and state anti-bias agencies.

Do your employees make editorial comments about customer quirks in your internal files? Typically, it's not a problem. But a recent lawsuit shows the legal dangers of making potentially slanderous comments about customers in internal documents ...

When employees sue you for discrimination, be sure to pull out their job applications and résumé for a second look. You may discover that they misrepresented their education or job history, which could sink their case ...

The Pennsylvania Wage Payment and Collections Law, the state law that requires you to pay workers on time, also says you must pay employees' legal fees when you violate the law ...

With so much absenteeism linked to child care issues, more U.S. employers are offering employees access to new Web sites that help solve a common dilemma: finding a good, reliable babysitter ...

When employees sue your organization, it can be tempting for supervisors to keep a closer eye on those litigious employees to make sure they’re “playing by the rules.” But be careful: If you suddenly start enforcing your company’s existing rules or turn into Big Brother, you could end up facing a second lawsuit, for retaliation ...

It may seem patently obvious, but judging from the number of lawsuits alleging retaliation these days, many employers still don’t understand the importance of equal treatment following a complaint ...

Q. I recently discharged an employee for performance problems. At the end of the termination meeting, he asked for a copy of his personnel file. Do I have to give discharged employees a copy of their personnel files? —B.N.

Here’s another good reason to aggressively contest unemployment compensation claims when you have strong evidence that the company fired the employee for a good cause (such as lying or stealing): You can use an unemployment compensation ruling to prove, in a later discrimination lawsuit, that you fired an employee for a valid, nondiscriminatory reason ...

The Pennsylvania Inspection of Employment Records Law guarantees employees the right to view their personnel files at work ...

Some people are deleters and some are hoarders. Either way, you can learn from these e-mail efficiency tips ...

In the process of recruiting, hiring, firing and just running a business, employers accumulate a large amount of personal data from applicants, employees and business associates. Florida law requires employers to take reasonable steps to safeguard such personal data ...

When it’s time to decide on promotions, do you send employees’ personnel files over to a supervisor or hiring committee to help make the decisions? Make sure the files don’t contain references to past discrimination claims or investigations. Otherwise, you could be inviting a passed-over candidate to sue for retaliation ...

A group of black and Hispanic police officers have accused the NYPD of harassment for noting in their personnel files that they were complainants in a discrimination suit. The notations could damage their careers, their attorney says ...

Shortly before leaving office, Gov. Pataki signed New York’s Mental Health Parity Law, which requires insurers to provide mental health benefits in all health insurance policies issued in the state ...

If you get wind of a possible lawsuit over unpaid overtime, make sure all your payroll records remain intact and available. Don’t crank up the shredder. If you dispose of related documents, the penalties under Ohio law can be especially harsh ...

A star employee tells you his new depression medicine makes it impossible for him to get to work on time. Must you alter his schedule? ...

Why does “testing” bring about that sledgehammer-in-the-stomach feeling? Maybe because, as students, we never knew quite what to expect. Now, the same is true when it comes to a recent trend in employment-law cases: applicants and employees making phone calls to secretly test whether your organization is discriminating ...

Question: I want to learn more about contract management processes, from the perspective of maintaining files and records. Can someone direct me to a Web site, a book or an online course that would help?  -- Marie

Question: A couple of years ago there was a "Your Problems Solved" article relating to scheduling meetings and other tasks often requested of Administrative Assistants/Secretaries. One or more respondents had Meeting Request Forms they used in order to get ALL pertinent information they needed to schedule a meeting (attendees, timeline for scheduling, etc.).

I cannot find the article, and now I find myself in need of such a form or template. Does anyone have one they could recommend and/or share?  -- S Clark

HR Law 101: In 1998, the Supreme Court issued its first ruling on an AIDS-related issue and its first major interpretation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The justices made it clear that all persons who are HIV-positive, even though they may show no overt symptoms of the disease, are also protected under the ADA ...

HR Law 101: Some supervisors try to skirt the whole issue of firing someone by resorting to constructive discharge. Their logic: If we make an employee’s time at work so intolerable, he or she will choose to resign. That’s an unwise strategy ...

HR Law 101: Despite all the risks, providing other employers with references about your former employees is a good business practice. If you refused to provide references, eventually you would compromise your ability to find out about applicants you’re considering hiring ...

HR Law 101: None of your organization’s policies can compromise your employees’ right to privacy. You can’t obtain information about workers that’s not relevant to their job duties, and there are restrictions on what information about employees you’re allowed to disseminate ...

HR Law 101: Employers have any number of legitimate reasons to monitor employees’ e-mail and Internet usage. Beyond personal productivity issues, you risk significant loss should an employee download a virus or other damaging software or engage in illegal activity conducted on company computers ...

HR Law 101: Employee theft costs U.S. businesses $40 billion every year, according to estimates by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. And internal theft contributes to the failure of one in 10 U.S. businesses annually. That’s why it’s imperative for your organization to have a clearly defined anti-theft policy...

Question: I read your Admin Pro Forum - Dealing with Divas, and I’m interested in obtaining a job description for a Sr. Admin Assistant. I am an executive assistant doing Sr. executive work. I’d like to see other job descriptions in order to help establish my own senior job description and present it to my boss. Having input from another senior admin assistant would be helpful.  -- Cindy

Question: I will be working with a new director soon. When I meet with the new director, I would like to ask the right questions in order to get to know his work style or what he expects of me. I would like help in asking the right questions so I know what he expects. For instance, the information that I placed on my former boss’s Outlook calendar may not be what my new boss would like on his calendar. Another question might be how he prefers me to handle mail, for example, date stamped, placed in folders, etc.

What other questions should I ask?  -- Anonymous

Q. An ex-employee whom we fired is now asking to take some documents from his personnel file. Is he legally allowed to do this? Do we have to give him the information just because he's asking for it? —L.B., North Carolina

Q. Soon after I started in a new HR department, I reviewed the files and found that some of the employees’ I-9 forms don’t have dates or signatures, or they’ve been completed using outdated forms. Can I go back to employees and redo the forms, collecting current documentation? Or should I just make sure the right forms are used from now on? —J.M., Ohio

Q. I keep on file each employee's application, résumé, performance evaluations and any other praise or disciplinary records. Do I need to provide my employees with access to their files? And, if so, do I have to show them everything? —S.K., New Hampshire

Q. What's the law on letting employees review all their personnel files? Can we prevent it? —J.S., Utah

Q. An employer asked us for job verification on an employee we fired. It has a written consent form from the worker allowing the query. Can I release any and all information regarding the ex-employee's history with us? —R.F., Colorado

Q. We have an employee who submitted a dated, signed resignation letter but then changed her mind and wanted the letter back. She was not a good employee, but we let her rescind the letter because we thought we'd be on shaky legal ground. Could we have held her to it? —M.L., Ohio

Q. Should I always make and retain copies of Form I-9 supporting documents? —K.L., California

Q. In a previous issue you said employers “must keep certain records separate from personnel files.” What, specifically, does “separate” mean—in separate drawers of the same file cabinet? In separate offices? How far apart do they need to be? —T.S., Illinois

Q. One of our full-time employees, age 60, is ill and expected to be out six months. We'd like to make her position part time, because we need to hire an additional part-timer in another department. Essentially, we'd like to split her full-time job into two part-time positions. Is this legal? —D.H., Texas

Q. Our employment application states, “This application will remain active for six months.” Is this time frame advisable? How long should applications remain active? And how long should I keep completed applications? —K.S., Minnesota

Q. We're a surveying company and often use temporary workers on big projects. We recently rejected a candidate sent by the temp agency. Now, the candidate is threatening to sue, saying we discriminated against her because of her accent. Can she sue us even though she was employed by the temp agency, not by us? —M.L., Maryland

Q. You recently said that I-9 forms can now be stored electronically. To save on office space and filing time, our department is considering scanning and electronically filing all personnel files and documents. Is this OK? —S.S., California

Q. We own a chain of restaurants. It has been a challenge for us to complete all of the I-9 forms and keep up with reverification of expired work authorizations. Is it legal for us to hire a company to handle these tasks for us? —A.M., Tennessee

Q. We get numerous unsolicited résumés through e-mail and regular mail. Do we have any duty toward these individuals? Do we have any obligation to keep the materials they send? —R.B., Illinois

Q. What should we keep in personnel files? —G.T., Missouri

Q. We recently received a subpoena to produce the contents of an employee's personnel file in connection with a lawsuit. The employee is a party to the lawsuit, but the company is not. Do we have to comply with the subpoena? Should we tell the employee about the subpoena? —K.H., District of Columbia

Q. We’re cleaning up our personnel files and updating emergency contact information. Some employees don’t want to provide their contact information. Is it legal for us to require them to give it to us? —S.S., California

Q. We require, as a condition of employment, that our employees agree to resolve all disputes by binding arbitration, rather than going to court. One of my friends said a lot of the government agencies don't like those kinds of arbitration policies and one agency even decided that they were illegal. I know lots of employers have binding arbitration, so I don't think that could be right, but thought I better check. —S.T.

The so-called paperless society ushered in by the computer age may mean fewer file cabinets and storage rooms full of paper records, but storing company records on hard drives has its own set of problems ...

Whenever one of your employees files a discrimination claim, you now need to be ultracautious about making any changes to that employee's job. That's because almost any change—including lateral transfers with the same pay and title—can now be deemed an illegal "adverse employment action" by the court ...

New Jersey employers have every right to monitor their employees' e-mail messages and computer usage so long as they have a strong electronic communications policy. That's true even if the content might otherwise fall under attorney-client privilege ...

Employers who rely on the expertise of foreign scientists, engineers and nurses would be wise to review the processes they use to recruit and pay employees under H-1B visas. The EEOC has taken a keen interest in whether promises made to induce foreign talent into the United States are being honored. And more visa holders are hiring lawyers and suing for broken promises ...

Expect this summer's blockbuster U.S. Supreme Court ruling, Burlington Northern v. White, to swell the number of retaliation complaints and legal claims ...

Q. We fired an employee based on an eyewitness account of theft. We documented that report and put it in the ex-employee's personnel file. That person has now hired an attorney and asked to see the file. We feel that we have no obligation to respond. Do we have to turn it over without a subpoena? —E. I.  

A top-performing employee is diagnosed with depression and now says her medication makes it impossible for her to make it to work on time. Must an employer change her work schedule? A job applicant volunteers that he is intellectually disabled but says he can perform his job with a job coach. Is that a reasonable accommodation? Are you prepared to answer those questions ... and more?

Q. I've just joined a new company, and our HR people give out employees' information (wage data, demographic info, etc.) to anyone who calls to request it. Is that right? —P.L., Virginia

New federal court rules for electronic-records maintenance and discovery took effect on Dec. 1, 2006. The rules govern discovery of electronically stored information in federal civil litigation ...

The number of employees who work from home at least one day per month increased 63 percent between 2004 and 2006, says a new WorldatWork study. But as telework’s popularity grows, so do legal concerns for employers ...

Hold onto those performance evaluations and internal memos that justify pay decisions a little longer. This is not the time to do a massive purge of employee files. Reason: An important U.S. Supreme Court case will decide how much time employees have to file charges alleging pay discrimination ...

If an employee comes forward to protest that you owe him overtime pay because he should truly be a nonexempt worker, it pays to act fast and be able to show good cause why you classified him as exempt in the first place ...

When it comes to promotions and wage increases, it pays to spell out for employees exactly how the process works. That way, you’re less likely to lose a failure-to-promote case or a pay-discrimination suit. ...

HR Law 101: Employers must comply with the reporting and disclosure requirements of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), designed to protect employees’ rights to benefits. An employer’s benefits package must take the form of a Summary Plan Description, which you must provide to participants and beneficiaries to advise them of their rights under the plan ...

Question: Does anyone know of a software program that works similar to MS Binder?  -- Anne Smith

Consolidate tasks with this supplement to your to-do list.

Question: My boss is the head of my company and a genius-engineer type. He must have his contacts in a book rather than an electronic format. Currently, I use Outlook 2003 and have created a contact binder with tabs for Home, Personal, Medical, Business, etc.

My boss wants several contacts from the same company to be seen under one company view (one contact name under the other with phone numbers under the master company header), instead of several separate views. He also would like to see the database sorted in different ways, but he wants more configurable views rather than the several choices of view from Outlook.

In relation to this, I have several questions to other admins.

1. Would a skilled Outlook user be able to change the contact format and contact views into a more easily read format? If so, where could I get the training/knowledge (i.e., training CDs, courseware or live training) to do this?
2. Does anyone know of any other database program out there for personal contacts that is very detailed, flexible and configurable? (We've already scrapped Access.)

Thanks for any help.

-- Karen Kosmoski

Texas unemployment compensation law, like that of many other states, provides temporary payments to employees who lose their jobs through no fault of their own. The law is administered by the Texas Workforce Commission ...

No specific Texas law allows private-sector employees access to their workplace personnel files, but the Texas Public Information Act does provide that right to public employees ...

Pennsylvania’s unemployment compensation law, like that of many other states, provides temporary payments to employees who lose their jobs through no fault of their own. The law is administered through the Pennsylvania Department of Labor ...

The Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Act covers all employers in the state and provides wage replacement for employees hurt on the job. The law provides payments to employees regardless of fault. That is, to earn benefits, injured employees don’t have to prove that their employers were negligent; they need only prove that the injury occurred at work. Sounds simple, right? It’s not ...

In Pennsylvania, employers must allow employees (or their designated agents) to inspect their personnel files upon reasonable request. The law applies only to actual employees, not to ex-employees or applicants who want to look at their application files ...

Question: I am the executive assistant for the CEO/president of a small (45 employees) company. The boss frequently travels, either on business trips, family trips or hunting trips. While he's gone, he might check his e-mail once a day, but he relies heavily on me to check his e-mail, handle things that I can, return calls, answer questions, etc. Usually, once a day, he’ll call and get any pertinent info from me.

He gets about 30 e-mails a day and one or two calls. About five of his e-mails contain something that needs to be handled; most are simply “junk.”

When he’s around, I have JUST enough to keep me working very slowly. I feel as though I'm not used to my potential; I really prefer to be TOO busy! I have assumed all the responsibilities he will allow, I assist others in the company as much as I do him, and do a lot of research on potential customers, partners, vendors, etc., without being told. I have PLENTY of initiative, I go above and beyond constantly, and I do a lot of things. But when he's gone, I literally could get all my “work” done in one hour a day!

It’s very frustrating, because I don’t feel like I’m worth my paycheck, sometimes. But there’s nothing I can do to remedy it. He has specifically said I’m doing more than he would ever ask and that I’m capably handling SO much and the folks in the office all have their jobs to do and any offers of assistance I give are usually politely declined. I mean seriously: I don’t feel like he needs me to be in the office while he’s gone. We have a telephone system and VPN, and I could literally work from home and be JUST as available.

I don’t really want to push for that, because he really doesn’t like folks to telecommute. He likes them to be in the office, especially me being the “face” of him when he’s not here. Inevitably, things arise that I might need to make a decision on.

I paid for an online continuing-education course from a local college and have been doing my studies at work. Seeing as it’s an administrative course, I don’t feel bad about that. But after that, I'm still left with three to four hours a day with absolutely NOTHING work-oriented to do because I have DONE IT ALL, already!

My long story boils down to this: Should I look for another job that's more fast-paced and I feel like I’m worth my paycheck?

Should I try to talk to him about working part-time while he’s out of town?

Should I feel guilty on a day like today when our gas has been turned off due to a leak the gas company has to locate, I feel sick (several employees have the stomach virus going around), have a headache, have nothing to do, have received ONE single e-mail in two days that I could do anything with, and made a copy of a receipt for one other person? Should I be feeling guilty for checking my e-mail? What am I missing?

I’m so frustrated because I have a VERY strong work ethic and a fast-paced mentality, one can reorganize the files only so many times!

HELP! I don’t want to be watching the clock!  -- Liz

Question: I was promoted recently and am responsible for training my replacement, a transfer from another department. I was the first person to fill this position, so all of the processes are ones that I created. The documents handled in this department are very sensitive and become legal documents.

This person was hired without my input and while the supervisor of the department was out of the country. We were informed rather than asked about these changes by upper management.

My replacement has very little Word or PowerPoint experience, and almost no Excel experience. The position prepares PowerPoint presentations for the corporate officers and board of directors, as well as for international branches of the company.

My frustration stems from the fact that she thinks she knows so much more than she does and doesn’t ask questions; she assumes she knows what she is doing. I have prepared instruction books and step-by-step manuals for her to walk her through the processes, but she won’t use them. I have asked her what I can do to help her; she acknowledges that she isn’t using the tools she has. I have suggested that, in her slower time, she play in her software programs and learn them. She has label-making down pat, and her files are beautiful, but she still doesn’t know how to work her scanner. (Yes, I have gone over it with her ... more than once.)

She has been working in this department now for six weeks and is still making the same mistakes she made the first week. Her supervisor is out of town frequently, and it's up to me to "teach" her. I've been keeping a log of things we go over each day and problems that arise and have gone over this with her supervisor. He is currently back in town for a while and wants to start throwing things at her to see how she deals with it. He's still asking me to help him out.

I am very busy in my new department and really don’t have time to do my job and hers. I'm getting to the point that I just want to watch her sink on her own but still feel very responsible for the documents that are being sent out. I don’t feel comfortable going to upper management, since her supervisor is taking a wait-and-see attitude, but it’s killing me to see what she's sending out.

Has anyone else dealt with a situation like this? Any advice at all would be appreciated!  -- Pam from Oregon

Question: I use Excel to post and track updates on an action-item log that I maintain for our weekly meetings. It has seven columns and is laid out in landscape format. Lately, I've run into a problem with the text not wrapping.

It starts out OK, but if the verbiage gets too long, it stops wrapping inside the cell. It sometimes looks OK in the spreadsheet, but cuts off the text on the right-hand side of the cell.

I tried expanding the cell horizontally -- and vertically -- but nothing helps. It was suggested that I post the updated notes in the row directly below, but if I do a filter on all closed action items, the second cell directly below the original doesn't show up.

I'm considering posting my action-item log in another program, i.e. Word, but I'm wondering if I should consider another software program. Excel and Word are the only two software programs I have; anything else would need to be purchased.

I need something that will allow me to add very lengthy verbiage in one cell and still print out, so all can be seen.

Thanks.  -- Susan

Question: I have had MS Access software training in the past but until now had no need to create a database. Now, I need a quick refresher course on it.

I was sent an Access database already created with the information that I need. All I need to do is remove the information that I don’t need and put it into a format that is more conducive to my needs. And of course, I have a very short period of time to do this.

Any suggestions?  -- Lori

Question: I am attempting to get information as to how other organizations are maintaining personnel files, medical files, workman's comp files, training files, etc.  All recommendations and current procedures your company follows would be greatly appreciated.  -- Jennifer

Question: I know someone posted earlier about having a boss with ADD/ADHD. What about when the person diagnosed with ADD/ADHD (combined inattentive/hyperactive type) is the executive assistant herself?

I would be interested in knowing what employer-provided (under the ADA) accommodations have helped other admins with this disorder to do their jobs better/more effectively.

Our responsibilities as admins are often focused on being able to multi-task, keep organized, prioritize, remain on time with projects, remember names/phone numbers, and keep focused ... all of which have to happen simultaneously, sometimes. All of these are significant challenges for someone with the disorder and who has issues with short-term memory, keeping track of time, finding/organizing files and remembering information after being distracted by someone/something else, etc.  -- Anonymous

Question: I'm trying to find an essential tool I use every day and can't find it anywhere, and am hoping my fellow admins might be able to help me.

I have accumulated well over 600 3" x 5" Rolodex cards over the years. My problem is, I have room for only 500 on my open "flip"-style Rolodex. I've had to start rubber-banding the extras together or they all fall out whenever I need a phone number or address.

I would prefer a rotary metal Rolodex (the metal ones with a knob you twist around to the card you need).

The only 1,000-card Rolodexes I can find are:

1. A rotary one with MUCH smaller cards. (I'm not going to retype all 600 cards just so they fit on the new 2 1/4" x 4" cards!)

2. A 1,000-card "open file" holder like the one I have.

Does anyone know of a rotary-style Rolodex holder that holds 1000-plus 3" x 5" Rolodex cards?

Thanks, in advance, for your help.  -- Busy Executive Assistant, Rochester, N.Y.

Question: I need help organizing/cross-referencing file folders. My boss writes the name on the material and keeps it in either his office or mine. The problem occurs when he has a new or follow-up meeting that some of this information could pertain to; we can't locate everything because different names of folders may apply to similar information, etc.

This has been ongoing but now is occurring more frequently. Please help. Thanks.  -- Donna

Question: My boss, I believe, has a problem with ADHD. Sometimes, he bounces off the walls and is very difficult to keep up with. I try to keep up with him, but lately, I am exhausted by mid-afternoon. I am at the point that I am so frustrated because I am running in circles most of the time.

My boss will tell me he needs to schedule a meeting or various meetings throughout the day. Then, two minutes after we have met regarding his files/meeting requests, etc., he asks me if I have set up the meeting regarding a topic that he never asked me to schedule. So, I continually have to check and re-check my notes for who the invitees are for meeting A or B; then, I have to ask him if his question relates to scheduling meeting A or B. His normal reply: "Oh, no. This is another meeting I am talking about."

Many times, he forgets to give me all of the details.

Are you aware of any books that would help administrative assistants who work with bosses with ADHD? I would like to know how to set up boundaries with my boss, who cannot seem to focus.

I have set up color-coded files; I print meetings from his calendar and attach to the top of a folder for each and every meeting; I arrange files on his credenza; I keep a large, orange "Please sign" file for signatures; and we meet daily to plan meetings, plan projects and to follow up regarding unfinished projects.

I need some help as to how I can become a more efficient assistant to my boss. Any suggestions?  -- Frustrated in Michigan

Question: "Help! I use Word and Excel to prepare documents for the same clients annually.  For 2006, I will use the 2005 Word file and save it (using Save As) into a new 2006 file.

"I have many Excel tables linked to my Word documents, so I usually find the first Excel table in the document, double-click on it to open the Excel document, and save the Excel document into the new 2006 file (using Save As). Then, I update that first table, which is now in the 2006 file.

"My problem is that there are many more Excel tables in my document and all the other tables are still linked to the 2005 Excel document. I usually just delete each table (linked to the 2005 file) as I come to it and re-copy & paste (with link) the same table, from the 2006 file.  I know you can break the links or change the source of the links, but I have been able to break only one table's link at a time, which takes as long as cutting, recopying & repasting.

"Is there any way of re-linking the entire Excel document to the new 2006 file? The file is exactly the same as the previous year, except that it now says '2006' instead of '2005,' so each worksheet is the same and has the same name.  Can anyone out there help?"  -- Diana

When facing a discrimination claim filed with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, it makes sense for employers to try to settle as early as possible, before the agency holds hearings and files an opinion ...

Question: Someone on the Forum suggested using a controlling calendar. Where can I find information on/templates for this type of calendar?  Is there an electronic version? It sounds like it might be of great assistance to me.

I have To Do lists. I have my planner. I have my calendar at home and at work. How does everyone else try to keep track of their duties for work and home? I don't feel comfortable putting my personal items on my work calendar. Yet, I've read in several places that it's best to keep all the information in one area. How do you accomplish this?   

Thanks for your help.  -- An overwhelmed Jeannette

We don't want to sugarcoat things: Getting hit with an IRS "field audit" is a worst-case scenario and a cause for genuine concern. The process is expensive, time-consuming and requires a more comprehensive defense strategy than the other two types of audits we've discussed in our audit series ("correspondence audits" handled through the mail and "office audits" performed at an IRS office).

During an audit, chances are that you won't be able to produce all the receipts, bills or other pieces of written information you'll need to back up your claims, especially if the audit comes several years after the tax year in question.

Question: We are discussing how to alphabetize our file folders, and our problem is twofold:  First, some people are good about putting files away as soon as they’re done with them; others just toss them anywhere until it becomes an all-day project for someone (usually one of the two administrative assistants in the office).

Second, not everyone agrees on “rules” to follow. Should “The John Smith Company” be filed under “J” or “S”?  We’re a fairly small office (20 total) that has grown significantly over the past few years. When there were fewer people, everyone knew that if you needed to find the “XYZ Corporation’s” folder, it might be under “Bob Jones,” because he owned it!!  We’re trying to convince people that newbies can’t be expected to know that.

Any help or ideas would be appreciated.  -- MK, Massachusetts

Question: I’d like to ask admin assistants and receptionists (front desk personnel) to share their tips on how to deal with constant interruptions.

We are a front desk staff at a nonprofit medical facility. We take care of visitors, set up appointments and answer a lot of questions from associates, as well as collect money, enter data, bill insurance and contact various departments to obtain information.

We have a small staff. The front desk person is required to be the front- and back-office staff for this facility.

The appointment book and central file area are located in the front office. Staff members come into the area to check their appointments and they walk through the area to get to the files and their mailboxes. There was another door they could go through to get to files, but, due to HIPAA regulations, it is now kept locked.  To get some confidential work done, we close our door. But people come in, anyway.

Thank you.  -- Anonymous

Question: I'd like to ask other admins to share their very best tips about how to do their jobs effectively — whether it's something about organizing their workspace, managing time, file management, working with bosses or other co-workers, etc.

Thank you!  -- Lisa, Tacoma, Wash

Question: I work for a real estate company that manages apartment buildings. Problem: Proper filing as it pertains to our building names. Each apartment building we manage has a name, i.e., The Residences at Morgan Falls.

When I put names in the database, should I be filing those apartments that have the word "The" in their name under "T"? Example: "The Residences ..." Is that to be filed under "T" or "R"?

When people are looking for the name in the database, some people look under "R" and assume it's not in the database, and some people look under "T" because they are including the word "The" with the name. Which is proper?

When we refer to some of these properties, we call them by name, i.e., The Residences, or The Estates, but I thought I remembered that, a long time ago, there were something called "Proper Filing Rules." That's when the word "the" was part of a name. It would be presented like so: "Residences at Morgan Falls (The)." It showed that the word "The" preceded "Residences" but it allowed the name to be filed under "R".

Help me, please. This is driving me nuts as what to do about filing our property names.

Thanks.  -- Anonymous

Unless you're a CPA or a tax nerd, the term MACRS can be daunting. It stands for Modified Accelerated Cost Recovery System, which is the standard federal-income tax method for depreciating the cost of your business assets.

We can't overemphasize the need to keep the required records for charitable donations, especially because the IRS is turning up the heat on donation deductions.

Question: Our problem is that, when various offices have items that need to be surplused, many times, they end up in the basement entry-level alcove right in front of the elevator area. It doesn't block the walkway except on rare occasions when too many items are left there.

These items should be surplused by individual offices, but it just seems convenient to roll them to this area. I usually end up having to fill out surplus forms for each item to have them picked up. They've been told but they eventually start again. How would you handle a problem like this? Thanks.  -- Annette

What if you're seriously considering an applicant, but a good chunk of his or her past experience was at an employer that's now defunct? The dot-com bust of the late '90s ...

Q: We're confused about your item regarding a separated spouse who files as a "head of household" and claims the standard deduction (see 4/18/05 issue). You say that if the situation was "the other way around," the person would be required to itemize. Can you elaborate? P.B.S., via e-mail

With precious little fanfare, the Working Families Tax Relief Act of 2004 revamped the rules for dependency exemptions. It created a uniform definition of "child" and relaxed the requirements for certain taxpayers. But the old rules still apply in some situations, resulting in even greater confusion for taxpayers. Here's a quick primer on the old rules, plus how you can take advantage of the new rules.

Question: My boss is a saver. He saves just about every e-mail, needed or not. He is a physician and vice president of a very large health care system. Thus, I understand why he feels the necessity to save everything. The problem is that he "drags and drops" into different folders set up in an archive (.pst's) e-mail tree within MS Outlook. Unfortunately, the .pst files are very vulnerable to self-corruption. (MS Outlook is a very good e-mail system but not such a good "filing cabinet.") He recently lost all of his files due to self-corruption of the .pst files. Our Information Technology department was able to get most of them back after running back-up files.

I’m looking for ideas on how others save their e-mails. My boss loves the drag-and-drop feature due to its ease of use and efficiency. He’s also open to changing his ways on how he saves these e-mails but I need to figure out a better way without using the unstable .pst files. I do know that you can do a "save-as" on e-mails and save them as Word documents, but that takes numerous steps and isn’t very efficient. I’m working with an IT tech and we’re trying to self-educate by getting ideas from others. I am at a loss for what else to do.

Thank you for your thoughts.  -- Michelle G

While you can still claim top-dollar deductions for your charitable donations, the massive new tax law signed last October—the American Jobs Creation Act of 2004—imposed new limits on certain donations. Now that the dust has settled, this much is clear: It's more important than ever to keep proper donation records. If you don't, you could lose all or part of your deductions.

Question: I have taken on the task of creating an internal newsletter.  We have 14 employees (4 professional engineers, 7 consultants and 3 admin staff) located in 7 different states.  Our internal communication is very weak due to workload and the geographical distance.   Our company consisted of 5 employees in the same office until 2 years ago.  I feel that an e-mailed newsletter would be a good way to communicate with everyone.

If it's unusually quiet in your office while you're reading this, it's probably the week between Christmas and New Year's, when most businesses slow down.

Even if IT support doesn't appear anywhere in your job description, office mates may tap you to troubleshoot their computer problems.

If you want to pay the absolute minimum to Uncle Sam, tax planning must be a year-round pursuit. With summer right around the corner, you can cash in on several key tax breaks by springing into action now. If you procrastinate until the end of the year, you'll miss out on valuable deductions and credits for yourself, your business and your family. This special report explains a dozen timely moves you should take before the leaves begin to fall.

A tidy workplace should enable you to work faster, but some hide a secret: You may be wasting time, effort and resources on unproductive tasks. Don't let your drive for neatness and perfection derail your work. Check whether your office is simply organized or efficient, as well, with this list:

After sending off your return, you'll probably trash old documents and files. Beware: Scam artists can steal your identity by rummaging through your garbage bags.

"That's the last straw. You're fired."

You may have said those words yourself, but unless you've correctly documented the fired employee's "earlier straws," you may be opening up yourself for a lawsuit.

Maintaining a performance file or log may sound time-consuming, but the time is well worth it at the end of an employee's review period. Rather than relying on memory, you can refer to a long list of concrete examples. Evaluating performance becomes as easy as adding up the numbers.

Last year, the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) required companies that sponsor large health care plans (more than $5 million in premiums or claims) to start complying with new privacy rules.

This year, it's your turn. Starting April 14, smaller businesses that fall below the $5 million threshold must comply.

Gain fast tax relief from a NOL.

Pay no tax instead of low tax.

Identity theft is one of the nation's fastest-growing crimes, and it can hit businesses as well as individuals.
A thief uses your credit card, Social Security number or business identification ...