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Compensation & Benefits

Can I fire an employee who will miss work because he has been subpoenaed?

02/12/2010

Q. Do I have to allow an employee off work because he has been subpoenaed to testify in a friend’s divorce case? I would like to replace him if he misses work for more than a day or two.

Isn’t this illegal? I was just ordered to garnish one of my employee’s wages

02/12/2010

Q. We recently received a court order to garnish the wages of an employee who has failed to repay a student loan. I thought that the garnishment of an employee’s wages in Texas was prohibited by law. Is that no longer true?

Check CBA for pay rules on safety gear prep

02/12/2010

Sometimes it’s hard to imagine many advantages of being a union workplace, but here’s a bit of good news: At least in some limited circumstances, working under a collective-bargaining agreement gives employers some protection against FLSA lawsuits that demand payment for time spent putting on and taking off protective gear at the beginning and end of the workday.

Texas employees file FLSA suit against T.J. Maxx

02/12/2010

Employees of T.J. Maxx stores in Texas have filed a class-action suit alleging that the retailer stiffed workers out of regular wages and overtime pay. The lawsuit claims management required workers who exceeded their scheduled hours to work off the clock and told them to use vacation and sick time to cover time worked beyond their scheduled hours.

Don’t cry! Babies at work easier than you think

02/10/2010

Even as the economy forces some organizations to cut benefits, it’s prompting others to add one: allowing parents to bring their babies to work. In just two years, the number of organizations with a babies-at-work benefit has more than doubled to 130, says Carla Moquin, founder and president of the Parenting in the Workplace Institute. She advises managers to start small and to create a formal policy full of “safety valves.” Here are 10 keys to success:

10 warning signs of low morale … and 8 ways to boost it

02/09/2010

With workplace budgets still tight, recession-weary employees need a morale booster now more than ever. It’s time to use a little creativity to reward workers—without breaking the bank.

Employee who misses work for medical reasons may be eligible for unemployment benefits

02/09/2010

If you discharge an employee after she exhausts time off available through the FMLA, sick leave and other benefits, she may still be eligible for unemployment compensation. That’s true even if her absenteeism violated a company attendance policy.

3 Florida employers make ‘100 best places to work’ list

02/09/2010

A Toyota and Lexus dealer and automotive services company, a health care system and an employee-owned supermarket represent Florida on Fortune magazine’s 100 Best Companies to Work For list.

ADA: Accommodate fertility treatment, adoption

02/09/2010

Employees who suffer from an impaired ability to become pregnant are disabled under the ADA. Since childbearing is a major life activity, conditions that interfere with it qualify as disabilities. That means that employees who are infertile or have low fertility may be entitled to time off as a reasonable accommodation.

7 bills to watch: Congress’ 2010 employment law agenda

02/09/2010

When Republican Scott Brown of Massachusetts won January’s special election to fill the seat long occupied by the late Sen. Ted Kennedy, Democrats lost their 60-vote supermajority in the Senate. That means it will be that much more difficult for the Obama administration to make good on many of its pro-employee campaign promises. That’s not to say those employment law initiatives are dead. The following are the key initiatives pending in Congress.