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Alabama

You can’t directly call doctor for FMLA information

04/01/2007

There’s a right way and a wrong way to make sure employees have a “serious” condition that qualifies for FMLA leave …

Investigating EEOC complaint? You’re protected from retaliation, too

04/01/2007

If you’ve ever worried that participation in the internal investigation of an EEOC complaint might land you in trouble, you can take some comfort in a recent federal appeals court decision …

Employers don’t always have to be right, just honest

04/01/2007

When you know it’s time to discharge an employee, don’t let excessive fear of a lawsuit immobilize you. The fact is, employers do make mistakes, but not all their errors lead to liability …

Wear two hats in evaluating harassment complaint

04/01/2007

If your HR job includes evaluating claims of sexual harassment and hostile environment, it’s a good idea to approach investigations from two separate but related angles …

Swift response is key to derailing harassment claim

04/01/2007

When a co-worker launches a harassment campaign, you must act fast or risk a hostile-environment lawsuit. That means all your managers must know the drill to follow the moment they get wind of harassment …

Settle OT disputes quickly to avoid paying ‘Triple time’

03/01/2007

When employees complain that they should be earning overtime, it’s smart to settle up quickly if it’s clear that they’re right. Reason: When you fail to properly pay overtime, the Fair Labor Standards Act allows employees to collect twice what they should have earned …

Defuse bias suits by tracking which staff you discipline

03/01/2007

It’s a good idea to track the age, race, religion, sex or other characteristics of employees you discipline. Being able to see, at a glance, a potentially discriminatory pattern can help you make a midcourse correction …

Throwing the book at a worker: A good lawsuit defense

03/01/2007

When faced with an employee who has committed numerous rule violations, do you pick the most serious one and act on that? If so, you may want to rethink that strategy …

Reacting to harassment complaint: First-Day Action Is Vital

03/01/2007

If you don’t have an action plan in place for responding to sexual harassment complaints, develop one now. Don’t wait until the phone rings or an e-mail arrives detailing sexual wrongdoing. By then, it may be too late …

Deciding on promotion? Purge file of prior litigious actions

03/01/2007

When it’s time to decide on promotions, do you send employees’ personnel files over to a supervisor or hiring committee to help make the decisions? Make sure the files don’t contain references to past discrimination claims or investigations. Otherwise, you could be inviting a passed-over candidate to sue for retaliation …