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Employment Law

Avoid time sheets for independent contractors

11/01/2000

Q. Does asking independent contractors to complete a time sheet jeopardize their independent contractor status? —P.M., Washington, D.C.

Plan any deductions for personal calls

11/01/2000

Q. We allow employees to use their company-issued cell phones for personal purposes up to a certain number of minutes every month. A recently discharged employee exceeded her monthly allotment. Can we recoup the cost of these extra minutes by withholding the amount from her last check? —P.P., South Carolina

Management meeting counts as work time

11/01/2000

Q. Last week, we asked a nonexempt employee to come in 30 minutes before her regular start time to talk to her about a complaint that had come to our attention. Do we have to pay her for the time spent in discussions with management? —G.B., Kentucky

Test for illegal drugs OK under ADA

11/01/2000

Q. Our company wants to begin screening applicants for illegal drugs. Can we make job offers conditional on the results of a drug test? —K.P., Louisiana

Title VII’s silence on gay bias doesn’t give OK to discriminate

10/01/2000
It would be an understatement to describe the working relationship between nurse Gary Hamner and the hospital’s medical director as poor. Hamner, a homosexual, says …

Prepare for OSHA visit when labor’s unhappy

10/01/2000
Pay extra attention to safety when your company is going through labor unrest. Reason: A new study shows that the likelihood of a federal safety inspection …

Base English-only rules on business necessity

10/01/2000
Unless you have a good business reason, steer clear of preventing workers from talking to each other in their native language. In September …

Hotel’s bid for ‘cool’ valets teaches lesson on job standards

10/01/2000
Under a new Equal Employment Opportunity Commission settlement, a group of valet/bellmen will collect $120,000 each from the upscale California hotel …

FMLA regulation strikes out again

10/01/2000
Another federal appeals court has struck down Labor Department regulations that say the clock doesn’t start ticking on an employee’s allowable …

Age-related laws: Liability lurks at both ends of spectrum

10/01/2000
Federal employment laws protect workers from cradle to grave, but in very different ways. For young workers, the law prevents them from performing dangerous …