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Employment Law

Government Employees Filing Fewer Bias Complaints

07/19/2007

Federal employees filed 16,723 complaints of job discrimination with the EEOC in the past fiscal year, down from more than 18,000 the previous year …

Court: Even ‘Unintended Harassment’ Can Be Illegal

07/19/2007

Try this on for gross: A female employee gains access to her boss’s e-mail account without permission and discovers a vulgar e-mail sent by a male co-worker to the boss. The subject of the e-mail: her genitals. So, does this count as a hostile work environment? …

Federal Overtime Law: 4 Tips For Staying In Compliance

07/19/2007

Lawyers who want to make a quick buck are capitalizing on recent overtime class-actions that have netted millions in unpaid overtime and penalties. In fact, overtime and other unpaid-time lawsuits have become a cottage industry in the 21st century …

Think you have a drug-Free workplace? Think again

07/17/2007

If you think your workplace is drug-free, chances are you’re wrong. According to a new government survey, one of every 12 U.S. workers uses illegal drugs. That’s up from earlier surveys. Here’s more on the trend and what employers can do about it …

The new EEO-1 form: Prepare for big changes

07/10/2007

Many employers need to file the EEOC’s annual EEO-1 report by September 30. Get ready for big changes, as the form has been significantly revised for the first time in 40 years.

Worried about ‘Donning and doffing?’ Relax

07/09/2007

The U.S. Supreme Court created a big fuss last year by ruling that time used to put on or remove some work clothes and safety gear outside actual work hours might be compensable time. Many employers changed the way they calculated pay …

Trinity Church not responsible for assault on parishioner

07/05/2007

The Parish of Trinity Church of New York in lower Manhattan is not liable for the sexual assault of a church member by an employee, the New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division, has affirmed …

U.S. Labor Dept. draws battle lines in the great FMLA fight

07/03/2007

While employees love the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and want to see it expanded, the law is causing productivity, scheduling and legal headaches for employers, according to a new U.S. Labor Department report that summarizes 15,000 public comments on the FMLA. Here are employers’ main complaints, plus a 10-step plan to help you comply with the FMLA.

Job applications: How to create a legally safe form

07/02/2007

No single federal law governs job applications. Your biggest risk is asking unnecessary questions that run afoul of federal or state laws banning job discrimination on the basis of sex, age, race, religion, national origin or disability. But, done right, your application can be a great tool to communicate important information …

The WARN Act: When must you notify employees of layoffs?

07/01/2007

The federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act requires certain employers to give their employees at least 60 days notice before a plant closing or mass layoff …