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Employment Law

Supreme Court: No Need to Investigate ‘Silent’ Victims

11/01/2006

When the U.S. Supreme Court began its new term, one of its first moves was to reject a case that could have created new responsibilities for employers in investigating sexual harassment …

U.S. Workplace Becoming More Gay-Friendly

11/01/2006

This year, 138 major corporations earned a perfect 100-percent score in the Corporate Equity Index, a measure created by the gay-rights Human Rights Campaign to track employers’ policies toward homosexuals …

Help boomers use FMLA accurately for elder care leave

10/01/2006

As your baby boomer employees watch their parents enter their 80s and 90s, more of them are taking time off to care for those aging parents. The problem: More than 60 percent of employers believe they’ve granted FMLA time off that was unfounded, according to a Society for Human Resource Management survey. That spells unwarranted absenteeism, which can disrupt work flow …

Prepare for even more disclosure of exec compensation

10/01/2006

A federal investigation of companies that allegedly backdated employees’ stock options already involves more than 100 companies, and it has prompted the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to require more disclosure of executive pay …

Screen teleworkers before sending sensitive data home

10/01/2006

Allowing employees to work from home can be a boon for employers trying to increase productivity and keep talented employees from leaving for more flexible jobs. But this flexibility can present an increased risk of fraud, theft and legal action if you keep personal information about employees or customers on your computer network …

Call center staff belongs to same union as the callers

10/01/2006

Work/life professionals who staff the Workplace Options UnionSelect call center in Michigan have a special understanding of the unionized employees on the other end of the phone who are seeking help with child and elder care. Reason: They both belong to the same union …

‘Suspicion’ not enough to win discrimination suit

10/01/2006

Employees need more than a hunch that their employer discriminates based on age. They need some kind of proof …

Firing reasons: Make sure all statements are consistent

10/01/2006

Nothing will sink a legal defense faster than inconsistent explanations from management about the real reasons for employment decisions. Before anyone makes any statements about a decision, review the facts and make sure everyone is on the same page …

Insubordination policy trumps progressive discipline

10/01/2006

Many employers who have progressive discipline and no-fault attendance programs believe they must stick to progressive discipline for every attendance infraction. But that’s not so …

Hostile work environment depends on nature of job

10/01/2006

Some jobs are more difficult than others, and employees who choose to work in tough fields may have to develop a thicker skin. When it comes to deciding whether a work site fosters a "hostile work environment," courts typically decide whether harassment is objectively abusive based on the circumstances of the worker’s job …