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Employment Law

Brush up religious-bias policy; workplace getting more diverse

08/01/2001
More than a third of HR professionals say their work force includes more religions than just five years ago, according to a new survey from the Society for Human Resource …

Age-bias issues don’t stop at the border

08/01/2001
Even employees working outside the country are covered under age-bias laws. The federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) applies to U.S. citizens working in foreign …

Perry Mason meets e-Bay: Should you shop for lawyers online?

08/01/2001
If you need a lawyer to handle an employment issue, you can now go online, announce your legal needs and wait for offers from interested lawyers. But as with many things …

FLSA Limits Work Done by Volunteers, Unpaid Interns

08/01/2001

Q. I run a small advertising office. A college student has asked to join our staff for the summer. She proposed to work every day for a couple months at no cost. It would be great to get some free help. Is there anything wrong with hiring her? —G.I., Maryland

Privacy Laws Protect Most Phone Conversations

08/01/2001

Q. I’m considering instituting a policy at my company that would permit me to record my employees’ phone conversations. Can I record employee phone calls without their consent? —P.C., Michigan

Limit Employee Access to Personnel Files

08/01/2001

Q. I keep on file each employee’s application, résumé, performance evaluations and any other praise or disciplinary records. Do I need to provide my employees with access to their files? And, if so, do I have to show them everything? —S.K., New Hampshire

Don’t require returning workers to be ‘100 percent healed’

07/01/2001
After recuperating from a back injury, Dana Henderson received clearance from her doctor to return to work at Ardco, with limitations. She wasn’t allowed to stoop or bend, …

Try to offer same job to returning worker, not just same title, salary

07/01/2001
Linda Cooper operated a locomotive, but when her personal problems pushed her into depression, she was forced to take a series of leaves of absences. Eventually, Cooper’s doctor cleared her …

Don’t drag feet on accommodation; delay can equal discrimination

07/01/2001
Part of Rose Selenke’s job as a radiology technician involved developing mammography films. She suffered from sinus problems and frequently complained about fumes in the darkroom. The first time her …

You can limit domestic partner benefits to same-sex couples

07/01/2001
If you’re thinking about extending benefits to employees’ domestic partners, be prepared to defend any limits. When the Chicago school board decided to extend spousal health benefits to domestic partners …