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Employment Law

Pay employees for their ‘pre-work’ work

08/01/2005
When employees arrive and prepare their workstations for the day ahead, does that count as compensable time? Yes, as one employer found out the hard way last month. Humana must pay …

Stop FMLA abuse with employee ‘bed check’

07/01/2005
Good news: Managing employees out on sick leave and spotting FMLA abuse just got easier.
As a recent court ruling shows, you can call and check on employees to make …

Even ‘nontargets’ can sue for hostile environment

07/01/2005
Hopefully, you already take any discrimination or harassment complaints from minority employees seriously. But what if a white male blows the whistle about race discrimination he sees affecting his minority co-workers? …

Firing worker during FMLA leave: possibly legal, but usually unwise

07/01/2005
Terminating an employee who’s out on FMLA leave isn’t impossible. If you can prove that you would have fired the employee if he or she had been at work, you can …

EEOC following up on promise to crack down on Hispanic bias

07/01/2005
The EEOC announced in 2003 that it would work to counteract workplace discrimination against Hispanic employees, and the agency is making good on its promise.
EEOC chief Cari Dominquez, who …

Go overboard to clarify details in age-discrimination waivers

07/01/2005
When terminating employees, it’s smart to ask them to sign agreements that waive their rights to sue your organization for discrimination or wrongful discharge. Typically, employers wrap such waivers into severance …

Totally disabled employees aren’t eligible for job accommodations

07/01/2005
Employees who ask for and receive disability benefits may sometimes also ask for workplace accommodations for their disabilities. In some cases, they may be entitled to both; in other cases, not. …

Commissioned finance managers are still exempt from overtime

07/01/2005
Last year’s overtime regulations prompted many retail-industry employers to review their compensation structures. But, as the case below shows, if you’re a retailer and have commissioned employees on staff, it’s likely …

Keep staff vacation schedules away from public view

07/01/2005
With summer-vacation season here, you may be tracking employees’ comings and goings using schedules posted on a bulletin board or online. But not everyone thinks so highly of publicly posted …

Find qualified disabled applicants with DOL’s online network

07/01/2005
The U.S. Labor Department launched a campaign to build awareness of its Employer Assistance & Recruiting Network (EARN), which matches skilled disabled employees with private-sector job openings. The site, www.earnworks.com, has …