Newsletter September 2013
It is that time of year again, when students are getting their backpacks ready and laying out their new clothes. Parents are packing lunches, driving carpools, and buying school supplies. Children everywhere will arrive on their first day of school, and the first thing the teacher will do is go over classroom rules, remind students about school-wide policies, explain the dress code, and make sure students understand what is expected of them for the course of the school year. Students are equipped with the tools they need to make their year great. When is the last time you did that with your staff?
Take some time this fall to re-educate your employees. Meet with managers and discuss where their departments are having human resource and policy issues. Schedule a companywide meeting and have employees bring their employee handbooks. Walk them through the company and department policies. Pay special attention to any that have been recently added. Remind everyone what the dress code is. Revisit the rules about cell phones, attendance, vacation days, and other things that people tend to bend the rules on. Make sure to allow time for questions as well as further discussion on items that may need more clarification. Highlight the areas of the handbook that have been changed or revised recently. At the end of the meeting, have each employee sign off on their “handbook continuing education.”
The attorneys at Karen McKeithen Schaede Attorney at Law, PLLC are experts in the drafting or revision of employee handbooks. In addition, they are available for staff training regarding any and all personnel policies contained in the handbook or to answer any employee questions with regard to company policies.
Sincerely,
Karen McKeithen Schaede Attorney at Law, PLLC
Delay in Health Law Penalties
On Tuesday, July 2, the Treasury Department announced its determination to delay enforcement of a portion of the Affordable Care Act which required certain large employers to provide health insurance for employees.
Be Ready for the Sept 23 HIPAA Deadline
On March 26, 2013 the final rules that implement the Health and Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act went into effect. These rules directed that all providers and groups must be in compliance by September 23, 2013.