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Employment Law

Investigate harassment, even if victim is hesitant

09/01/2004

Q. We’re afraid that one of our employees may have been subjected to discriminatory behavior. But she hasn’t filed a complaint. What should we do? Do we have an obligation to bring it up and investigate even if she declines? —S.P., Louisiana

Accommodate group prayer if it won’t cause ‘Hardship’

09/01/2004

Q. A group of our employees met during their break to have group prayer. A supervisor complained to our president, who instructed that we should notify employees that they can’t pray on break time. Nor can they pray during lunch unless they leave the building. Some employees are upset. Is this policy legal? —M.S., California

Ignore job applicants’ claims of ‘good health’

09/01/2004
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Don’t show your cards before making a hiring decision

09/01/2004
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Heed new disability-access rules on building remodeling

09/01/2004
Issue: New federal rules say how far your organization must go to make its property accessible to disabled staff and customers. Risk: Ignoring the rules …

Sniff out suspicious FMLA requests with this 9-step plan

09/01/2004
Issue: Half of all HR professionals say they’ve approved FMLA requests that they believed weren’t legitimate. Risk: Employees who “work” the system to earn …

Check state rules, not just federal, on OT eligibility

09/01/2004
With all the talk about new federal overtime-eligibility rules, remember this: Some states set their own rules that may contradict federal law. In such cases, you must follow whichever law is …

New reason to tighten promotion process

08/01/2004
Can employees sue your organization for failing to promote them to jobs they never even applied for? It seems crazy, but it could be true. Courts are increasingly opening a backdoor …

Don’t let office romance poison workplace; third parties can sue

08/01/2004
Legal threats from interoffice romance typically come from harassment claims if the relationship sours. But here comes a new threat: employees who claim a “hostile environment” when favoritism caused by another …

You can block staff from bringing co-workers to disciplinary meetings

08/01/2004
Good news: Employees in nonunion workplaces no longer can insist on co-workers joining them during investigatory meetings. You can legally deny such employee representation requests thanks to a new National Labor …