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Terminations

When Can You Fire a Disabled Worker?

09/01/2002

Q. We’ve had a disabled worker on staff for five years. He’s consistently absent or tardy and has trouble working with others and keeping up his job duties. We adjusted his hours, but his poor work forced us to reassign some of his duties and even hire another person to help carry the load. What can we do? —F.F., Texas

Be consistent in reasons for layoffs

09/01/2002
When a Wisconsin company restructured, it laid off a 44-year-old customer service rep. None of her direct supervisors or co-workers took part in deciding which employees would be laid off. But …

Just Say No to Rescinded Resignation

09/01/2002

Q. We have an employee who submitted a dated, signed resignation letter but then changed her mind and wanted the letter back. She was not a good employee, but we let her rescind the letter because we thought we’d be on shaky legal ground. Could we have held her to it? —M.L., Ohio

Don’t wait for disabled to ask: Accommodation is two-way street

08/01/2002
Ray Birton, a cart gatherer and stockman at a Missouri Wal-Mart, occasionally forgot instructions and didn’t clock in and out correctly, resulting in paycheck errors. Birton’s mother gave his manager …

Don’t Rely on ‘Same-Actor’ Defense

08/01/2002

Q. If an employee claims she was discriminated against by the same supervisor who hired and fired her, does the employer have a defense to the discrimination claim? —S.D., New Jersey

Preach secular management: Train supervisors to shun religious bias

08/01/2002
When a city-run youth program hired Cheryl Campos as a counselor, it promised her a $10,000 bonus for support-group work as well as a promotion to assistant director within six months. …

Stick to facts with mental fitness tests

07/01/2002
Don Jackson, a county utility worker, got quite a shock one night when a psychologist called to confirm an appointment in two days. Jackson hadn’t made the appointment, his employer had. …

Don’t stack the deck in arbitration

07/01/2002
Daniel Murray, a full-time union organizer, signed a mandatory arbitration agreement as a condition of employment. The pact said arbitrators would be chosen from a list provided by his employer and …

EEOC issues more guidance on anti-Muslim bias

07/01/2002
Between Sept. 11, 2001, and May 7, 2002, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) received 497 job-bias complaints on the basis of Muslim religion. That’s compared with 193 complaints over …

Be Wary of Firing Overpaid Employee

07/01/2002

Q. Is it legal to terminate an employee because he makes a high salary? —J.L., Arizona