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Ask Rita in HR: What About Marijuana Decriminalization?
Dear Ask Rita in HR: Since Proposition 64 was approved in the recent California election, I have been receiving a number of questions from employees who are asking how these changes in the marijuana law will affect our nonprofit’s drug policy. W …
Gearing Up and (Teaming Up) for a Leadership Transition
Some of the hardest moments we face as nonprofit professionals happen during leadership transitions. That’s why it’s so great that Susan Poglinco and Priscilla Rosenwald took the time to very honestly chronicle for Blue Avocado the challenges — both ex …
Ask Rita in HR: How Do I Stay ADA Compliant When an Employee Has a Disability?
Dear Rita in HR: One of our employees recently disclosed a medical condition that limits his ability to perform some of his duties. His manager wanted to fire him because he can no longer perform his job, but I don’t think we can do that. I handle acco …
Ask Rita: Can I Just Hire Independent Contractors?
Dear Rita in HR: I am executive director of a very small nonprofit. Recently, I had to fire an employee for the first time. In retrospect, I probably made a bad hiring decision, but it was a real nightmare to go through. I would like to just hire indep …
Can We Fire Someone for What They Said in Personal Email?
Dear Rita in HR: We recently discovered that an employee is shopping online at work and is signed on to social media sites such as Facebook for about 3 hours per day. We don’t know if she merely views it for a moment and then leaves it open or if she i …
Outdated Job Description May be Getting Us in Trouble
Dear Rita: Help! I’m the executive director of a nonprofit with 35 employees. Recently, one of our employees said he can’t drive anymore due to vision problems. It’s his job to drive to different client sites to provide training . . . we serve a rural …
How Do You Count Employees . . . to Determine Which Laws Apply?
Dear Rita: We are a small nonprofit that provides summer day camps for youth. We have 6 full-time employees, and hire about 40 or so seasonal workers who staff our summer camps. We also hire a few administrative workers through a temporary agency to he …
Transgender Employees: A Respectful and Legal Workplace Approach
Dear Rita: I manage a small team of employees in a close-knit office. Recently one of my employees told me in private that “he” is becoming a “she.” I’m not sure how to deal with this. Do I call the employee “him” or “her”? I think when the other emplo …
Ask Rita: Do We Need Insurance for Our Volunteers?
Dear Rita: I recently read an article that said it was a good idea to have insurance for volunteers. I thought volunteers had immunity in both federal and state laws. Should I be doing something to protect my nonprofit? Signed, Curious in California …
How to Deal with an Office Bully
Dear Rita: I have a really awful co-worker — Gossip Greta — who is making me miserable. She goes out of her way to be rude to me and badmouths me behind my back. Once I made a minor mistake and she started yelling at me, calling me “stupid” and “inco …
