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Minnesota

Tooth Fairy ups the ante

04/01/2008
The results of the annual Tooth Fairy Poll from Delta Dental of Minnesota show that payments for teeth are up 44% in the state. The average gift to children is currently $2.10 per tooth here …

Plan ahead for this year’s ‘Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work’ Day

04/01/2008
The fourth Thursday of every April is “Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work” Day, so this year it falls on April 24. To head off requests and confusion about whether or when the kids can come, establish some ground rules …

FMLA changes are here — and even more are on the way

04/01/2008

Employers with 50 or more employees that are subject to the requirements of the FMLA, take note: Significant developments are under way: A new law extends leave benefits to military families, and the U.S. Labor Department is revamping regulations interpreting employers’ obligations under the FMLA …

Drug testing after a workplace accident

04/01/2008
Q. Last week, one of our employees drove a piece of equipment into a shelving unit. The employee caused substantial damage to the equipment and the products on the shelves. He could have seriously injured a co-worker. The employee’s supervisor reported that the employee’s eyes were glassy and bloodshot. Can we require the employee to submit to a drug test? — S.S., White Bear Lake …

How much cooperation must we give to a state discrimination investigation?

04/01/2008
Q. I own a small medical device company. We are responding to a frivolous charge of discrimination filed by a former employee. The Minnesota Department of Human Rights has contacted us to conduct interviews of certain employees. Do I have to make these employees available? Can I ask to participate in the employee interviews? — S.G., Bloomington …

Must we pay our employee while she serves on a jury?

04/01/2008
Q. We have an employee who is serving on a jury. It’s a long case. Do we have to keep paying her for her time off? — P.J., Minneapolis …

Hiring tests must reflect true work conditions

03/01/2008
Women accounted for half of new hires at an Iowa meatpacker until the company instituted a new pre-hire lifting test. Then the percentage of women fell to 15%.

Don’t let managers fly solo on terminations

02/01/2008

Virginia Schurmeier, an operations analyst for a food wholesale company, was fired for alleged poor performance. She sued, claiming the real reason was sex discrimination. Her proof: A male co-worker who had worse performance appraisals than she had wasn’t fired …

Minnesota Unemployment Insurance Law

02/01/2008
Minnesota’s unemployment compensation fund, like that of many other states, provides temporary payments to employees who lose their jobs through no fault of their own. The state administers the law through the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) …

Minnesota Workers’ Compensation Law

02/01/2008
Minnesota’s workers’ compensation system protects employees who are injured on the job by replacing lost wages while they recover. The Minnesota Department of Labor & Industry administers the law. The system works as a no-fault guarantee …