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Discipline / Investigations

OK to apply different discipline standards to new employees

07/01/2007

If you classify employees as either permanent or probationary, you can apply different disciplinary standards to the different classifications. That’s true even if the employees perform the same job and violate the same rules …

Brawling in the workplace? Investigate and discipline promptly

07/01/2007

While you probably have rules in place that dictate civil behavior in your workplace, you may not have a clear plan for dealing with the aftermath of an actual violent confrontation. You should …

Track all disciplinary actions to head off disparate-Treatment claims

07/01/2007

When employees sue under the employment discrimination laws of Ohio, they often allege disparate treatment and try to show their employer treated members of their protected class (e.g., age, race, sex) more severely than other employees. The key to a good defense lies in tracking each and every disciplinary action when it occurs …

Doing nothing after complaint leads to nothing but liability

07/01/2007

The most direct route to a hostile-work-environment lawsuit is to ignore complaints. Do nothing and your liability builds with each new complaint …  

Coke employees get jail time for trade espionage scheme

07/01/2007

Two former Coca-Cola employees who tried to sell trade secrets to PepsiCo will serve prison terms and pay $40,000 in restitution …

Prompt action by management is key to winning hostile-Environment lawsuits

07/01/2007

The Ohio Fair Employment Practices Act makes it illegal to subject employees to a racially hostile work environment. But not every hostile act does a lawsuit make. Much depends on management’s response to such hostility …

Track discipline companywide to show no double standard

07/01/2007

One of the most common employment law claims is the uneven enforcement of workplace rules. The only foolproof way to counter such lawsuits …

Workplace rule: There’s no such thing as a harmless comment

07/01/2007

That’s the lesson for University of Georgia women’s golf coach Todd McCorkle, who resigned in the wake of complaints from several players that he frequently made inappropriate sexual jokes and comments …

Suspect employees of theft? Questions are OK, but detaining risks ‘False imprisonment’ claim

07/01/2007

A high percentage of workplace theft is the work of insiders. That’s one reason you may want to question employees when money or goods disappear. But don’t act like the police …

Glowing evaluation doesn’t trump insubordination

07/01/2007

Have you worried about discharging an employee who just got an outstanding evaluation? It’s a legitimate concern, but don’t let it paralyze you …