Q. One of our employees has received glowing reviews for 10 years, but she’s been working on her personal business on company time for the past two years. The employee’s supervisor never addressed this issue in writing, and now her new supervisor wants to fire her without any documentation or counseling. Can the supervisor do this without any expectation of “trouble” from the employee?

In this week’s HR Specialist Forum, a reader asks a question we never expected: What should she do about an upsurge in office supply pilferage that seems to coincide with back-to-school season? Here’s an idea for starters: Institute a policy saying it’s wrong to steal stuff!

Here’s a step you can take to guard against challenges to your drug-testing procedures. When you tell an employee he failed the test, get him to admit he used drugs. That can ensure he doesn’t receive unemployment compensation.

Employees have the right to wear religious garb to work, within limits. Under most ordinary circumstances, for example, Muslim women should be allowed to wear head coverings if they hold the sincere belief such coverings are required of their religion. But if the head covering presents a safety issue, chances are an employer can ban the covering.

New Jersey’s new medical marijuana law won’t take effect until next year, a last-minute move that has implications for employers with policies concerning employee drug use. Take advantage of the delay to ensure your drug-abuse policies are aligned with the new law. If an employee can legally use medical marijuana, how will you enforce your legitimate interest in maintaining a workplace where safety isn’t compromised by intoxicated workers?

Should you establish a zero-tolerance ban on swearing in the workplace? It’s probably not realistic and you may set yourself up for discrimination claims if you clamp down on one employee’s slip-up but not another’s. Instead, establish more general rules that say offensive language and other disrespectful conduct are not permitted, and violators will be subjected to the discipline policy.

DHS has issued final regulations clearing the way for employers to electronically sign and store the I-9 employment eligibility verification forms that must be on file for all employees. Here are the links you need to capitalize on this initiative, which should reduce your paperwork burden.

When President Obama signed health care reform legislation in March, the clock started ticking on a series of changes that HR professionals will be dealing with for at least the next eight years. Here’s your timeline of what to expect.

Most organizations believe they do pay for performance. They don’t. Here's how to get real about a compensation system that truly pays employees according to what they contribute to organizational success.

Employees who are terminated because they become ill and can’t meet attendance standards can still collect unemployment compensation benefits. But employees terminated because they didn’t follow call-in policies can’t. That’s misconduct, which bars receiving benefits.

Matt Kaiser, VP of NAS Recruitment Communication, encourages employers to create policies and procedures to help employees take advantage of social media. “Your employees are going to be the best way to build your powerful employee brand,” said Kaiser. “Give employees advice on what to do—not just what not to do.…"

There may be a ticking time bomb lurking in your employment policies and practices. It may go off at any time, when you least expect it. During its most recent term, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled that employers can be held liable upon the use of employment practices that have a disparate impact on employees, no matter how long ago the challenged practice was adopted.

Make sure your employee handbook includes a disclaimer specifying that the handbook is not a contract. Then have employees sign that disclaimer, acknowledging that they’ve read it. That way, you won’t accidentally create an employment contract.

A group of black Philadelphia firefighters known as Club Valients and the NAACP have settled their lawsuit against the city of Philadelphia concerning racist comments that appeared on the web site of International Association of Fire Fighters Local 22.

A long-awaited Supreme Court ruling has reiterated the importance of all employers to draft and enforce a comprehensive electronic communications policy governing how employees can use e-mail, the Internet, cell phones and text services.