If employees are issued valuable equipment (i.e. cell phones, laptops), you should have policies outlining that these items and information remain company property and must be returned at termination or upon request. If required, they may be subject to legal recourse to recoup the equipment or replacement costs and that this may include wage deductions if allowed by federal, state, and local laws, of which there are many restricting such deductions.

When you issue valuable property, you should have the employee complete an acknowledgement form outlining policies, usage and return expectations, and legal action options. The form should also include a detailed chart outlining the cost of each item as well as the employee's initials and date upon receipt. This form will be required to defend a claim of improper wage deductions or if you need to take legal action such as filing a police report or a claim in civil court.

You should also have strong policies covering confidential information and the prohibited and permitted uses of that information during and after employment. These policies should state that all information and files must be returned and/or deleted from any electronic device if kept electronically.

Establishing a solid structure of policies, practices, and forms will help you protect your company's valuable assets 

The Workplace Advisors is BSCAI's endorsed HR partner, providing HR support, recruiting, coaching, compensation, and employee engagement services.  For a link to our menu of services for BSCAI members, go to www.TheWorkplaceAdvisors.com/BSCAI

Romantic relationships between supervisors and employees creates a great deal of exposure. If it ends poorly, the employee may have a claim of quid pro quo sexual harassment. Even if it continues and thrives, other employees may have a harassment claim if they feel they are being passed over due to the relationship.

You should review your policies. If you do not already have one in place, develop a policy prohibiting relationships (romantic and familial) between supervisors and employees. Outline what relationships are prohibited, the expectation of transparency and actions to be taken if a situation develops, whether through a new romance or hiring a new employee. You should also create a procedure for employees and supervisors to report their relationships so they can be managed from the beginning.

Taking decisive action when the relationship is exposed and if there are residual complaints will help mitigate your exposure but will not eliminate it. 

The Workplace Advisors is BSCAI's endorsed HR partner, providing HR support, recruiting, coaching, compensation, and employee engagement services.  For a link to our menu of services for BSCAI members, go to www.TheWorkplaceAdvisors.com/BSCAI

In most cases with remote employees, you need to follow the laws of the state the employee works in. Aspects such as minimum wage, overtime, paid sick leave, paid leave, payout of vacation at termination, acceptable payroll deductions, and protected groups follow the laws of the state where the employee works.

However, laws such as enforcing restrictive covenants (i.e., non-competes and non-solicitation) may fall under either state's jurisdiction depending on legal precedent.

As with differences between state and federal law, you must defer to the law which most favors the employee. However, you are allowed to apply a more generous standard to all employees if you find it easier to manage.

The Workplace Advisors is BSCAI's endorsed HR partner, providing HR support, recruiting, coaching, compensation, and employee engagement services.  For a link to our menu of services for BSCAI members, go to www.TheWorkplaceAdvisors.com/BSCAI

How you set up your inclement weather policy is a matter of preference and should be spelled out in your employee handbook. Generally, non-exempt, hourly workers do not need to be paid for the time not worked although some states require some reporting pay if they are sent home from work before the end of their shift.

Should you wish to pay them since it is a circumstance beyond their control, you can certainly do so. For exempt, salaried employees, if you close the office, you cannot dock their pay for time not worked if they worked any time during the workweek, but you may be able to request that they take paid time off. If they do not have any leave remaining, you must pay them for the time off. However, if an exempt employee does not work at all during the workweek, you may not need to pay them. Under either circumstance, if the employee is working from home, he or she must be paid.

The Workplace Advisors is BSCAI's endorsed HR partner, providing HR support, recruiting, coaching, compensation, and employee engagement services.  For a link to our menu of services for BSCAI members, go to www.TheWorkplaceAdvisors.com/BSCAI

Allowing employees the flexibility of a remote work arrangement is a rapidly increasing reality that is welcome by most employees. When creating the option, you should establish criteria (i.e., advanced approval, job duties that can be performed remotely, good job performance, etc.) and expectations (i.e., required hours of availability, performance standards, dependable and secure internet, video, and phone connections, a quiet and secure place to work, etc.). Explain these to the employee and make sure they understand them as well as the repercussions if they fail to maintain them.

You should also leave yourself the option to rescind or revise any work arrangement, including remote. If an employee is no longer meeting the criteria and/or expectations, then review the arrangement, explain your concerns and what will happen if they cannot abide by the agreement. This becomes even more urgent if operations suffer, data integrity is compromised or legal exposure is increased.

The Workplace Advisors is BSCAI's endorsed HR partner, providing HR support, recruiting, coaching, compensation and employee engagement services.  For a link to our menu of services for BSCAI members, go to www.TheWorkplaceAdvisors.com/BSCAI