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Employment Law

Stray remarks add to suspicions of bias

12/01/2000
With nearly 30 years of experience and several awards for selling animal health products, Marvin Fisher was assigned to a top sales unit after a company merger. About a year later, the company…

Deductions endanger exempt status

12/01/2000
A group of New York City employees was designated as salaried and exempt from overtime, but several regulations subjected city workers to pay deductions and suspension for absences. None of these …

Don’t count on seniority system to block reassignment of disabled

12/01/2000
After injuring his back while working in a cargo job for USAir, Robert Barnett used his seniority to transfer to the company’s mailroom. When he learned two workers with more seniority …

How to draft a bullet-proof employee handbook

12/01/2000
An employee handbook can be the foundation of employee performance and a shield against lawsuits, or it can be a ticking time bomb that confuses employees and strips away your legal …

Tally up payroll to find out if Title VII covers you

12/01/2000

Q. We have about 15 employees, many of whom work part time. A former employee filed a charge of discrimination against the company under Title VII. We don’t think our company is covered by Title VII because we don’t have 15 workers scheduled to work in most weeks. Do you think the case could be dismissed with that argument? —R.B., Texas

Cut legal risk during layoff

12/01/2000

Q. In recent months, a sharp decline in revenue has forced us to consider downsizing. What are the legal risks associated with a layoff and how can we minimize them? —L.C., Hawaii

Weigh the pros, cons of mediating disputes

12/01/2000

Q. Do you recommend mediation for resolving employment disputes? —N.B., Minnesota

Employees online? Take a byte out of your liability

12/01/2000
No employer wants to explain to a court why jokes like “Why beer is better than women” are bouncing around the company e-mail system. But that’s the position more companies are …

No need to give ‘bonus points’ to disabled applicants

11/01/2000
Nancy Houser suffered a severe elbow injury at work, making it impossible to use that arm for lifting in her warehouse job. The company transferred her to greeting visitors …

Year-old pay comparisons can show bias

11/01/2000
Carol Broadus did it all, from building computers to training employees to fixing problems, all for an hourly rate that equaled about $22,000 a year. But within …