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How do layoffs affect employees on sick leave?

09/12/2008

Q. Our company is planning a layoff, for which we will follow a “seniority” system to decide whose jobs are affected. When I look at our seniority list, I see that some of our current employees are out on medical leaves of absence. How should these employees be treated for layoff purposes? …

Fire employees who take FMLA leave? Yes, with reason

09/10/2008
Employees sometimes think taking FMLA leave gives them special protection. Some may even attempt to go out on leave when they know they are about to get into trouble at work. Don’t fall into that trap. The fact is, if you would have fired the employee even if she had never taken FMLA leave, you can do so if she has taken leave …

Can VESSA and FMLA leave run consecutively?

09/10/2008
Q. May an employee in Illinois take 12 weeks of unpaid time under the Victim Economic Security and Safety Act (VESSA) and then take 12 weeks unpaid FMLA leave? …

How does VESSA work?

09/10/2008
Q. What are the key elements of Illinois’ Victim Economic Security and Safety Act (VESSA)? …

Election Day: Is paid time off required?

09/09/2008
Q. Are we obligated to pay employees for the time they take off to vote? …

Election Day: Mandatory time off to work the polls?

09/09/2008
Q. An employee who has already used all of his PTO for the year recently requested a day off on Nov. 4, 2008, to serve as an election judge. Do we have to give him the day off? …

Accommodation can include FMLA leave to avoid OT

09/08/2008
Sometimes employers must require their employees to work overtime to meet production goals. That can be a problem if one of the workers has a disability that prevents him from working more than 40 hours per week. It’s perfectly legal to require that the employee use accumulated sick time and FMLA leave to avoid those overtime hours …

This just in: Don’t fire employee for taking FMLA leave

09/05/2008

It seems pretty obvious you can’t legally fire an employee because she took FMLA leave. Every employer knows that, right? Perhaps not. Recently, the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals had to rule on the question when an employer hoped to get a definitive ruling that employees are entitled to leave, but can be fired for using that leave …

Flex Fridays allow employees time to unwind after traveling

09/05/2008

After a business trip, employees of Ann Arbor, Mich.-based Humantech get the following Friday off, just to unwind. The workplace ergonomics consulting firm’s business travelers earn the extra day off when they make extended trips or work odd hours while on the road …

Disability insurance kicks in on Day 1 at Virginia firm

09/05/2008

A short- and long-term disability-income protection plan kicks in the very day an employee starts work at Snagajob.com in Richmond, Va. The company pays 100% of the insurance, which lets employees receive 60% of their salary while on disability leave …