• The HR Specialist - Print Newsletter
  • HR Specialist: Employment Law
  • The HR Weekly
Connection failed: SQLSTATE[HY000] [2002] No such file or directory

North Carolina

EEOC to N.C. janitorial firm: Clean up this debt!

09/01/2011
Access Services, a Charlotte-based janitorial services company, must ex­­plain to a judge why it failed to make court-ordered payments after it settled an EEOC discrimination lawsuit brought by a former employee.

Not every complaint is protected activity

09/01/2011

Some employees seem to believe that any complaint they make about their employer is protected activity. Thus, they may assume that any punishment they experience is retaliation worthy of a lawsuit. Fortunately, that’s not necessarily true.

Document discharge decision at time it’s made

09/01/2011
When an employee senses that she may be in trouble and about to lose her job, she may begin to review the last year or so with an eye toward filing a pre-emptory lawsuit. If she suddenly remembers alleged acts of discrimination, she’s sure to complain. But she won’t win in the end if her employer can show it made the decision to fire her before she ever complained.

Put brakes on discipline when allegations of supervisor harassment seem credible

08/26/2011
It would be naïve to think your organization’s supervisors would never sexually harass subordinates. Here’s what to do when an em­­ployee complains she’s being sexually har­­­­assed. Make sure you investigate thoroughly. Don’t approve any discipline recommended by the same supervisor until you have had a chance to verify or disprove the allegations.

Worker lost $700: Can we make him pay it back?

08/02/2011
When an employee loses company property or money, what recourse do employers have to recoup their loss? It depends on the applicable state wage law … and on whether you believe the “loss” was really accidental.

Trucking firm headed down wrong road on racial bias?

07/25/2011
Salisbury-based trucking firm A.C. Widenhouse faces charges it allowed racial harassment of black drivers who allege managers and co-workers frequently addressed them using ­racial epithets.

Did Pantego firm act too fast by firing worker taking meds?

07/25/2011

The EEOC is suing Pantego-based Tideland Electric Membership Corp., claiming it failed to accommodate a disabled employee. Jeffrey Erdman suffers from a chronic pain condition, but with the help of prescription painkillers, he was able to perform his job as an apprentice lineman. However, when Tideland learned of Erdman’s condition and the narcotic prescribed for his pain, it fired him.

Employee acting as own attorney only gets some leeway

07/25/2011

Courts don’t want an employee to lose a legitimate discrimination case just because she couldn’t afford an attorney. That’s why courts often allow jury trials for cases in which an employee represents herself. However, once a jury has heard the case, chances are that’s the end of the matter.

Public employees must gripe to OAH before going to EEOC

07/25/2011
If you are a state or local government employer, here’s a tip that may prompt a judge to dismiss an employee’s dis­­­­crimination claim early on: Public employees have to first file a discrimination claim with the state Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH) before going to the EEOC.

Altering employee’s schedule? Be sure to document your reasons for making the change

07/25/2011
There are plenty of good reasons why you might have to change an employee’s schedule. Don’t get sloppy about how you implement the change. Make sure you document exactly why you are rejiggering the usual schedule.