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Florida

Florida’s climate is right for overtime lawsuits; build your defense

04/01/2007

That dedicated employee working through her lunch period, even though she’s clocked out, could be a Florida employer’s biggest future liability …

Gain Support for HR Initiatives With Split-Sample Testing

04/01/2007

Say you want to implement a new training program for sales reps. But every time you propose a new HR initiative like this, executives question whether it can work or say the company can’t afford it. Next time, take a different approach …

Settle OT disputes quickly to avoid paying ‘Triple time’

03/01/2007

When employees complain that they should be earning overtime, it’s smart to settle up quickly if it’s clear that they’re right. Reason: When you fail to properly pay overtime, the Fair Labor Standards Act allows employees to collect twice what they should have earned …

Asking feds’ opinion won’t always erase FLSA penalty

03/01/2007

Have you ever filed a request for an “opinion letter” with the U.S. Labor Department? It’s a handy tool that can help you dodge the penalty bullet if you’re later hit with an FLSA violation …

Defuse bias suits by tracking which staff you discipline

03/01/2007

It’s a good idea to track the age, race, religion, sex or other characteristics of employees you discipline. Being able to see, at a glance, a potentially discriminatory pattern can help you make a midcourse correction …

Throwing the book at a worker: A good lawsuit defense

03/01/2007

When faced with an employee who has committed numerous rule violations, do you pick the most serious one and act on that? If so, you may want to rethink that strategy …

Reacting to harassment complaint: First-Day Action Is Vital

03/01/2007

If you don’t have an action plan in place for responding to sexual harassment complaints, develop one now. Don’t wait until the phone rings or an e-mail arrives detailing sexual wrongdoing. By then, it may be too late …

Check your subcontractor contracts for details of workers’ comp coverage

03/01/2007

If you subcontract work, double-check the contract’s provisions on which party pays for workers’ compensation coverage. If you don’t, you may find your organization on the hook for injuries to the subcontractor’s employees …

Employees injured during horseplay at work may be entitled to workers’ comp benefits

03/01/2007

Florida employers ordinarily don’t have to pay workers’ compensation benefits for employees who are hurt while engaging in horseplay. But that provision doesn’t provide much protection when workers’ comp judges split hairs over what’s technically off-duty horseplay and what’s just a momentary deviation from job duties …

How far must you go in Florida to protect employees’ data?

03/01/2007

In the process of recruiting, hiring, firing and just running a business, employers accumulate a large amount of personal data from applicants, employees and business associates. Florida law requires employers to take reasonable steps to safeguard such personal data …