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Job descriptions: Make ’em lawsuit-proof

08/01/2002
Job descriptions are among the first items that courts examine to determine the legitimacy of a discrimination charge. You can use them as part of a defense in court only if …

Challenging an OSHA citation? Don’t miss 15-day deadline

08/01/2002
OSHA slapped a building contractor with $11,000 in fines for several serious safety violations. The agency sent a notice of citation by certified mail. A company secretary picked up the letter …

Tighter compliance on small firms or more business-friendly DOL?

08/01/2002
It could be some of both. The U.S. Labor Department recently announced it’s creating a new position, a director of compliance assistance who will make sure small businesses comply with regulations. …

Employees have zero privacy claim on e-mail

08/01/2002
Two insurance workers sued, claiming privacy rights, after they were fired for forwarding sexually explicit e-mails. The company had a clear policy that banned defamatory, abusive, obscene or threatening messages. The …

Rehiring ex-addict? Get proof of rehab

08/01/2002
Joel Hernandez had worked for Hughes Aircraft for 25 years when he tested positive for cocaine during a workplace drug test. Rather than be fired, he resigned. The company noted in …

Toughen violence policy to avoid liability

08/01/2002
An off-duty employee confronted a co-worker at his desk and accused him of having an affair with his girlfriend. Two supervisors, suspecting the confrontation might turn violent, escorted both employees to …

Lax hiring process will cost you

08/01/2002
For nearly two years, Joyce Dennis worked in progressively more responsible jobs at a South Carolina hospital. But when she interviewed for a promotion to ER registration supervisor, the hiring manager …

Tear down accommodation hurdles; don’t make worker formally apply

08/01/2002
When Howard Shapiro, a 15-year city employee, became disabled in a work accident, he couldn’t continue his paramedic job. So he made repeated requests for accommodations and identified several vacant positions …

Draw line on harassing behavior, even against top company execs

08/01/2002
Over four months, a female co-worker slipped nearly a dozen sexually explicit pamphlets into the office mailbox of a company vice president, including one titled “Great Sex for Men over 50” …

Workers’ comp can cover on-the-job fights

08/01/2002
Robert LeeGrand, an African-American brick mason’s assistant, got mad when a co-worker criticized his work and made a racist remark. When LeeGrand confronted him, the co-worker threw bricks, which caused LeeGrand …