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New York

Telecommuting OK for some? Allow for pregnant staff, too

02/18/2020
If working from home is an option for some of your employees, be sure to consider it a possible reasonable accommodation for pregnant women who have temporary restrictions.

Signed offer letter can bind worker to arbitration

02/18/2020
If you use arbitration to resolve workplace disputes, you can bind new employees via a signed offer letter. Just make sure the letter states the basics, including what claims must be arbitrated.

Employee must actually ask employer for religious accommodations

02/18/2020
An employer’s obligation to discuss reasonable religious accommodations isn’t triggered by a general complaint about scheduling. The employee must make a specific request for the religious accommodation so the employer can evaluate it.

Angry outbursts are inappropriate, but don’t always create hostile environment

02/18/2020
Sometimes, supervisors lose their cool with a difficult subordinate. Fortunately, a few isolated incidents aren’t enough to create a hostile work environment.

Provide FMLA forms as soon as you suspect serious health condition

02/18/2020
When an employee requests FMLA leave or even just asks about leave for a serious health condition, make sure you provide the proper FMLA forms. Never brush off such a request or tell him he doesn’t need to “apply” for FMLA leave.

Terrible job interview? Note that for the record

02/18/2020
Tell members of hiring committees that it’s important to make note of a candidate who interviews poorly. That’s especially true if the candidate isn’t selected and the interview was an important reason why.

Restaurateur forks over $240K of own money for harassment

02/18/2020
The principal owner of West Village hot spot The Spotted Pig has agreed to pay 11 former employees $240,000—and a share of his profits over the next 10 years—to settle sexual harassment charges.

New law brings paid parental leave to federal workforce

01/28/2020
Federal government employees will soon be eligible for up to 12 weeks of paid family leave annually. The new leave entitlement will cover approximately 2.1 million civilian government workers, by far the nation’s largest workforce.

Legal update: New bias protection, fluctuating workweek OT

01/28/2020
Two new labor and employment law developments require employers to review their policies. The first adds a new form of prohibited discrimination to the already long list of employer rules. The second clarifies how to handle fluctuating workweeks under the FLSA.

Safety: New York foundry finds itself in deep doo-doo

01/28/2020
Inspectors from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued 33 work and safety citations to Frazer & Jones Co. at its foundry near Syracuse.