December 2, 1999 | Read Time: 1 minute
Taking the High Road: A Guide to Effective and Legal Employment Practices for Nonprofits
By Jennifer Chandler Hauge and Melanie L. Herman
The authors of this book urge employers at non-profit organizations to strive for the moral high ground as they climb the executive ladder.
“Many who find themselves in non-profit management positions were once wide-eyed idealists who gladly leapt into the non-profit sector because they wanted to make a difference,” write Ms. Hauge and Ms. Herman, both lawyers. “But as one progresses in the management ranks it can be difficult to maintain those ideals.”
They offer suggestions geared to creating a work environment that is efficient, equitable, and honest.
Ms. Hauge and Ms. Herman begin with a state-by-state summary of laws that govern antidiscrimination policies and background checks. They explain regulations on severance pay, jury duty, and vacations, and recommend that organizations put their office policies and procedures in a handbook and distribute it to all employees.
Should a non-profit group have no other choice than to fire an employee, the authors outline steps that they say will promote fairness and decrease the likelihood of a lawsuit.
Other topics include sexual harassment, drug abuse, and office safety. Ms. Hauge and Ms. Herman provide summaries of state employment laws that govern such areas, as well as sample forms and checklists relating to employment contracts, performance appraisals, and insurance.
Publisher: Nonprofit Risk Management Center, 1001 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Suite 410, Washington 20036-5504; (202) 785-3891; fax (202) 296-0349; info@nonprofitrisk.org; http://www.nonprofitrisk.org; 217 pages; $45; I.S.B.N. 1-893210-02-2.
