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Illinois

Evenly enforce policy prohibiting employee fraternization

05/14/2008
If, like some companies, you have a policy forbidding dating or relationships between supervisors and hourly employees, make sure you enforce the rule consistently …

Plan to pick up slack when FMLA leave cuts worker output

05/14/2008
For better or worse, intermittent FMLA leave sometimes has the effect of turning a full-time job into a de facto part-time one. That means an employee taking intermittent leave probably won’t get everything done. it’s up to the employer to figure out how to fill the gap …

Investigative finger points back at accuser? It’s OK to fire

05/14/2008
Sometimes, a sexual harassment or other discrimination complaint ends up revealing more about the person complaining than it does about the alleged offense. If you conduct a fair, impartial and prompt investigation and discover that the problem is with the person making the complaint, you can take action …

You can require FMLA certification form directly from doctor

05/14/2008
Are you concerned about possible FMLA abuse? The law and FMLA regulations allow employers to insist on receiving FMLA certification forms directly from a health care provider’s office—and not by way of the employee. That way, there’s little chance the employee can alter what the doctor has certified …

Beware reverse sex discrimination when setting schedules and overtime policies

05/14/2008
It isn’t unusual for fathers to have extensive child care responsibilities. Make sure your policies recognize that fact. Don’t succumb to stereotypical thinking. For example, if you waive some work requirements so mothers can pick up their kids from day care, give fathers the same flexibility …

If accommodation can’t enable essential functions, termination may be only option

05/14/2008
Being qualified for a job doesn’t mean the person can do it well. And the inability to really execute an essential job function can warrant dismissal, even if the employee claims a disability. Take, for example, a newly hired professor who turns out to have psychological problems that prevent her from teaching class …

Schaumburg woman indicted in alleged international corporate espionage scheme

05/14/2008
Hanjuan Jin, a former software engineer for a suburban Chicago telecommunications firm identified as “Company A” for security reasons, has been indicted on charges of stealing business trade secrets and attempting to take them to China …

Settlement for profs who thought 100% was a passing grade

05/14/2008
Two Southern Illinois University at Carbondale professors who were threatened with punishment after they aced a mandatory online ethics test have received a settlement in a lawsuit they brought against the state. Why did the state want to punish them? They finished the 10-question exam too quickly …

Class action claims Illinois Bell underpays call center staff

05/14/2008
Illinois Bell/AT&T Illinois is the latest target in a national wave of class-action back-wage lawsuits brought on behalf of call center employees. A lawsuit against the phone company says it pays workers only for time when they are logged into the phone system, ignoring time spent working when they are not on the phone …

Resurrection faces state charges after refusing to pay back wages

05/14/2008
After years of dodging an Illinois Department of Labor (IDOL) order to pay back wages to its workers, Resurrection Health Care will have to square off with the state attorney general’s office …