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Employment Law

Take every suit seriously–even those in which employee is acting as her own lawyer

12/20/2011
Smart employers never ignore lawsuit filings—even if the allegations sound ridiculous and they’re coming from someone who is acting as her own lawyer.

Start new year with thorough review of your sexual harassment policies and practices

12/20/2011
More than a decade after creating their first sexual harassment policies, some employers may be getting lax. That might be especially true if they haven’t received any complaints. If that rosy scenario sounds like your organization, you might be courting trouble.

EEOC has bone to pick with Asheville steakhouse

12/20/2011
Ryan’s Steakhouse in Asheville has the EEOC sizzling after one of the eatery’s managers berated and eventually fired a 79-year-old worker.

Problems surface during FMLA leave? Fire away!

12/20/2011

Sometimes, you won’t find out about an employee’s mistakes until she’s not there to cover them up. If an employee went on vacation and you then discovered she was stealing, you wouldn’t hesitate to fire her, right? That shouldn’t change just because her absence was due to an illness.

‘Voluntary’ training time: To pay or not?

12/20/2011

Do you offer extra off-duty training for employees that, while technically voluntary, is strongly recommended? If training participants are hourly employees, chances are you will have to pay them for this time.

What are the new FMLA rules affecting federal employees?

12/19/2011
Q. We’ve heard that federal employees’ FMLA rights have recently expanded.  Can you tell us about this?

What are the details on the recent amendment to the Illinois Human Rights Act?

12/19/2011
Q. Can you tell us how the recent amendment to the Illinois Human Rights Act affects employers?

If FMLA leave has expired, when must we grant additional time off?

12/19/2011
Q. We have an employee who has exhausted his FMLA leave, but wants additional time off. Do we have to grant his request?

FMLA cases can hang on suspicious timing, internal documents

12/19/2011
In Shaffer v. American Medical Association, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals reminded employers they cannot base a termination decision on an employee’s decision to take FMLA leave.  Here are some of the lessons the case can teach employers.

Asian food vendor in hot water over hiring practices

12/19/2011
The Nishimoto Trading Co., which sells Asian foods to various Depart­­ment of Defense facilities, has agreed to pay $400,000 in back wages to women who alleged the company illegally refused to hire them. Nishi­moto operates a facility in Chicago.