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  • HR Specialist: Employment Law
  • The HR Weekly

Michael Fox

When equipment must start up, when does work begin?

03/07/2013
Q. When our employees come in to work, they spend part of their time getting their equipment running. Do we need to compensate them for that time?

Could nonexempts’ use of smartphones cause wage-and-hour liability?

02/01/2013
Hourly employees’ use of smartphones (as well as online email access from remote locations) has boosted worker productivity. However, it has also substantially increased the risk of off-the-clock-work violations.

Should we allow employees to use DOL’s timekeeping app for smartphones?

01/09/2013

Q. We have heard that the U.S. Department of Labor has issued a timekeeping app that allows employees to track their time on smartphones. Should we permit employees to use this in our workplace?

After discipline, how should we respond to employee’s retaliation claim?

01/09/2013
Q. We recently disciplined one of our employees for a handbook violation. She has since alleged that she was the victim of harassment. We are now facing a retaliation claim from this employee. How should we respond to such retaliation complaints?

How should we handle documents containing info about employees’ medical conditions?

12/03/2012
Q. Our office received medical information from an employee’s physician in conjunction with his FMLA leave request. What’s the best way for us to maintain this kind of documentation?

Does the FMLA cover leave for ‘stress’?

12/03/2012
Q. One of our employees has asked to go on medical leave due to “stress.” Does stress qualify as a condition that requires leave?

Can we prohibit moonlighting?

11/13/2012

Q. Some of our full-time employees have told us that they are looking for part-time jobs to make extra income. We’re worried about how this will affect their performance at our company. Can we prohibit them from working for other employers after-hours?

Do holidays require extra pay?

11/13/2012
Q. We need some of our employees to work during the holidays. Are we required to pay them extra for those days?

Travel time: Must we begin paying employees when they leave their homes?

11/13/2012

Q. Some of our employees are required to drive our company vehicles from home to various work sites in our area. Are we required to pay them starting from the time they leave home?

May we legally restrict when employees can take small amounts of vacation time?

10/05/2012
Q. We have recently needed to cut back on some of our employees’ shifts, meaning that some of our workers are now working fewer than 40 hours per week. In order to bring their hours up to 40, these workers have been filling their time sheets with varying amounts of their earned vacation. Are we permitted to restrict when our employees use their earned vacation?