• The HR Specialist - Print Newsletter
  • HR Specialist: Employment Law
  • The HR Weekly

Employment Law

Paid sick leave for all workers? Congress weighs the idea

06/01/2009

Legislation introduced in Congress on May 19 would require employers with 15 or more workers to provide at least seven days of paid sick leave per employee per year.

OSHA: Record injuries from ‘horseplay,’ team-building

06/01/2009

If your organization is required to keep track of employees’ injuries, take note of two OSHA interpretation letters.

Feds delay start date for E-Verify, ‘red flag’ rules

06/01/2009

The federal government has announced a delay in the implementation date for two regulations that affect employers: E-Verify and the "red flag" rules.

EEOC offers tips to avoid caregiver discrimination

06/01/2009

The EEOC last month spelled out a series of best practices that employers should follow to avoid discriminating against workers who care for ill family members.

How to cope with a seriously ill employee: 4 steps

06/01/2009
Login Email Address Password I forgot my password To continue reading this page, become an HR Specialist Premium Plus member today! Your subscription includes: Ask the Attorney: Answers to your HR legal questions Compliance Guidance: Access to 7,000 HR news articles, updated daily, sorted by state State-by-State: Summaries of HR laws in all 50 states […]

Beware vengeful boss’s shadowy retaliation

06/01/2009

Even if someone else in the management hierarchy actually terminates an employee, a supervisor who’s seemingly had it in for the employee can still cause a world of legal headaches for the employer. This is the so-called “cat’s paw” legal theory, which holds that employers are liable if they approve a recommendation that is based on illegal motives such as retaliation.

‘Same’ offense? Document why discipline differs

06/01/2009

If you punish two employees differently for what looks like the same rule violation or mistake, you’d better be prepared to explain why. If you are later challenged, you should be able to show that the two weren’t “similarly situated” and prove you didn’t favor one over the other.

Houston strip club’s youth movement draws EEOC suit

06/01/2009

The EEOC recently filed suit against AHD Houston, claiming that Mary Bassi, a waitress at Cover Girls strip club, was fired because of her age. The federal agency brought suit against the strip club’s parent company, arguing that Bassi was fired and replaced by younger servers even though she was popular with customers …

EEOC says you discriminated? Investigate on your own before accepting settlement

06/01/2009

The EEOC essentially exists to prevent lawsuits by independently investigating discrimination claims and then trying to settle as many disputes as possible. Not surprisingly, the EEOC and its sister agencies often come to believe a discrimination problem exists and then urge employers to settle. Know that you don’t have to agree to settle.

Tell bosses: Keep family planning and pregnancy talk out of the workplace

06/01/2009

It’s natural to ask questions when you learn someone at work is going to have a baby. But it’s quite another thing when pregnancy-related questions come from supervisors. It’s best to let HR handle any leave requests and the like. Otherwise, you just might find your questions interpreted as anti-pregnancy bias if you end up having to fire a pregnant employee.