Maine has a new Medical Marijuana law and employers must be ready now to address everything from employee questions, drug possession and stoned employees. There's a lot we don't know about Maine's new Medical Marijuana law and we won't know until the state and or the courts provide guidance. At the same time, employees are being issued registry identification cards which afford them certain rights and protections, including the right to possess marijuana. So what should employers do today to protect their workplace and workforce?

Employers should have policies and plans in place to address the real probability that one of your employees will come to work with a registry card, or worse--under the influence. As for those employers not living in Maine--take notice. 15 other states now have such laws and more states are beginning to address the issue. So how should you respond?

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W-2 Distribution: The IRS deadline to distribute W-2s is January 31. W-2s can be distributed electronically.

OSHA 300A: Beginning February 1 of each year, covered employers must post the OSHA-required Form 300A, which summarizes an employer's reportable injuries and illnesses for the prior year. The Form 300A posting period is February 1- April 30.

Every organization should have a sexual harassment policy. Post your policy on your bulletin boards, include in your employee handbook, and distribute a copy to all your employees annually.

Under many state anti-discrimination laws, organizations are required to have a sexual harassment policy containing the following mandatory provisions:

• A description and examples of sexual harassment;
• A statement that it is unlawful to retaliate against an employee for filing a complaint or for cooperating in a harassment investigation;
• A statement outlining the consequences for employees who have committed sexual harassment;
• A description of the process an employee must follow to file an internal complaint, including the work address and telephone number of the individual to whom a complaint should be filed;
• The address and phone number of the EEOC and the state Human Rights Commission; and
• A statement that sexual harassment in the workplace is unlawful.

Contact Dacri & Associates at rick@dacri.com about specific sexual harassment policy requirements in your state.

March 7: Maine Water Utilities Association Breakfast Forum. Topic: The Aging Workforce, Recruitment & Succession Planning

If your professional association needs a speaker, let me know. I am now booking a number of engagements for 2011. Click below to review my speaker information sheet.

A number of tools and booklets to help you manage your workforce are available now. These include:

• Sexual Harassment Prevention Toolbox
• Preventing Discrimination & Harassment Guide
• Strategies to Survive a Tough Economic Downturn Guide
• Guide To Massachusetts Employment Laws for Managers
• Employment Laws for Maine Organizations

Podcast on Workforce Trends, presented through the Association of Imaging Executives.

Article published in Portland Press Herald titled Your Business: Reasons For Optimism in 2011.

WLUW-FM, Chicago, "Business Matters with Thomas White." Topic: Businesses response to the President's State of the Union Address.

Interviewed for an article on worker misclassification in Mainebiz titled Seeking an Upgrade.