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Minnesota

Beware expanding EEOC investigation after employee complains about discrimination

08/12/2010

Take every internal discrimination complaint seriously—and take quick action, too. Why? If the employee doesn’t think your response was adequate, an EEOC complaint will probably follow. And that can spell big trouble if the EEOC decides to expand its investigation beyond the specifics of the original complaint.

When employee files harassment complaint, document efforts to help her deal with aftermath

08/12/2010

When an employee complains about sexual harassment, the aftermath can be tough. First, there’s an investigation and the anxiety waiting for a final decision. Co-workers may side with the alleged harasser and shun the complaining employee. How you respond to problems like those may mean the difference between winning a retaliation lawsuit and losing.

When essential duties are at issue, OK to base medical exam on FMLA certification

08/12/2010
A new 8th Circuit Court of Appeals case allows employers to use an employee’s FMLA certification as the basis for requesting a fitness-for-duty exam if the certification asserts that the employee can’t perform an essential function of her job. That’s especially true in high-pressure professions when an alleged FMLA serious health condition affects an employee’s ability to function while at work.

Twin Cities top Forbes list for working mothers

08/12/2010
Minneapolis-St. Paul’s low crime and unemployment rates nudged the Twin Cities past Washington, D.C., and Boston to gain the top spot on Forbes magazine’s best city for working mothers list.

‘Perfect’ accommodation may still be unreasonable

08/12/2010
Here’s a twist on the already complicated matter of accommodating religious practices in the workplace. Employers might assume that if they come up with an accommodation that resolves the conflict, they have done all that’s required. It’s not that simple.

Ensure your hiring process is rational, clear

08/12/2010

If you can’t explain how you select candidates or why you hired one applicant instead of another, get ready for court! However, there’s a simple, two-step way to keep from being sued: 1. Create a hiring process that makes sense. 2. Follow it rigorously.

$6 million fraud scheme earns five years in prison

07/30/2010
Chad Jurgens of Big Lake will spend the next five years in the big house after admitting to scheming to defraud his employer, computer hard drive manufacturer Seagate Technologies.

Here’s intel on how the other side approaches union elections

07/20/2010
The Department of Labor has launched a new web-based employment law guide on how to conduct union elections. The purpose: walking union members and officials through the steps necessary to comply with labor-relations law. If you have union workers, you owe it to yourself to learn how they’ll probably conduct their next election.

Must we pay for our employees’ uniforms?

07/15/2010
Q. Our organization requires employees to wear uniforms on the job. Do we have an obligation to pay for the uniforms?

What’s the word on the kind of work high school students are allowed to perform?

07/15/2010
Q. Our company owns a number of hardware stores and we plan to hire some high school students this fall. Are there certain limitations under child labor laws that restrict the types of duties that minors can be allowed to perform?