It’s legitimate to discipline or fire employees who behave badly. But employers that mandate suspension or termination for rule violations must apply the policy to everyone who violates the same rule. Then they should follow up with a prompt and thorough investigation into exactly what happened ...

For better or worse, intermittent FMLA leave sometimes has the effect of turning a full-time job into a de facto part-time one. That means an employee taking intermittent leave probably won’t get everything done. it’s up to the employer to figure out how to fill the gap ...

Sometimes, a sexual harassment or other discrimination complaint ends up revealing more about the person complaining than it does about the alleged offense. If you conduct a fair, impartial and prompt investigation and discover that the problem is with the person making the complaint, you can take action ...

Are you concerned about possible FMLA abuse? The law and FMLA regulations allow employers to insist on receiving FMLA certification forms directly from a health care provider’s office—and not by way of the employee. That way, there’s little chance the employee can alter what the doctor has certified ...

It isn’t unusual for fathers to have extensive child care responsibilities. Make sure your policies recognize that fact. Don’t succumb to stereotypical thinking. For example, if you waive some work requirements so mothers can pick up their kids from day care, give fathers the same flexibility ...

Being qualified for a job doesn’t mean the person can do it well. And the inability to really execute an essential job function can warrant dismissal, even if the employee claims a disability. Take, for example, a newly hired professor who turns out to have psychological problems that prevent her from teaching class ...

Hanjuan Jin, a former software engineer for a suburban Chicago telecommunications firm identified as “Company A” for security reasons, has been indicted on charges of stealing business trade secrets and attempting to take them to China ...

U.S. Rep. Peter Roskam, who represents Illinois’ 6th Congressional District west of Chicago, is spearheading efforts to make it easier for employers to get tax credits for hiring veterans of the war in Iraq ...

Employees who have disabilities sometimes pose special challenges. Accommodating their work restrictions requires diligence and flexibility. That doesn’t mean, however, that you should ignore declining performance ...

Some lawsuits are based on just a few careless comments from a supervisor. That’s especially true in cases involving employees who take time off under the FMLA. Managers who refer to these problems as “distractions” and comment on their impact on the workplace are inviting employees to sue ...

Sometimes, it seems as if every employee who ever filed a complaint about real or imagined discrimination follows up with a retaliation lawsuit. Ever since the U.S. Supreme Court loosened the requirements for proving retaliation, lawyers have had a field day. At least the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals has begun reining in these lawsuits ...

Do you have to provide employees who work eight hours or more during a shift with an unpaid meal break away from all job responsibilities? Or can you continue to pay employees while they eat, expecting them to take calls or respond to work needs? ...

The Minnesota Whistleblower Act (MWA) is designed to protect Minnesota employees who are punished for reporting company practices they believe are illegal. It’s not HR’s job to determine whether anything illegal occurred. However, when an employee has blown the whistle on a company practice, HR must make sure any future discipline is warranted and not driven by an ulterior motive ...

Minnesota employers, take note: Courts don’t take kindly to employers that try to sue their employees for negligence as a counterclaim to a discrimination lawsuit. In fact, Minnesota law requires employers to indemnify employees for costs associated with a lawsuit filed because of the employee’s alleged wrongdoing ...

Don’t even think about ignoring an employee lawsuit. If you don’t hire an attorney and present the court with a specific defense, the judge will give the employee an automatic win and figure out what damages you must pay. And you certainly won’t be able to ignore the sheriff who comes to collect what the court said you owe ...