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Ohio

Columbus offers one-time waiver for late WC premium penalties

12/02/2011
Employers that miss a workers’ compensation premium payment may apply for a one-time waiver of penalties under Gov. John Kasich’s “Common Sense Initiative.”

On to trial for worker advocate’s retaliation claim

12/02/2011
Employees and their lawyers are getting more creative with their lawsuits. Not content to rely on federal anti-discrimination laws, they add claims under state law, too. That increases their chances of making a claim stick.

After years of litigation, court orders cops’ promotion

12/02/2011
Federal courts don’t like being turned into proxies for HR departments, but they will act when necessary. That’s how the 6th Circuit recently came to order the immediate promotion of police officers in a discrimination case that has been in the courts for more than a decade and still isn’t finished.

Only truly outrageous conduct can add up to intentional infliction of emotional distress

12/02/2011
Ohio law allows individuals to sue for intentional infliction of emotional distress, including cases that arise from work-related incidents. Fortunately for ­employers, uncaring or insensitive incidents don’t qualify. The circumstances must be truly outrageous.

Beware refusing to rehire new mom; it could be sex discrimination under Ohio law

12/02/2011

Employees who need time off for childbirth but who aren’t eligible for FMLA leave aren’t entitled to additional protection under Ohio law. You can terminate the employee if your leave policies don’t provide another way to take time off. But if the former employee is ready to return after childbirth, beware rejecting her if she tries to reapply for an open position.

Leave shameful history in the past: Warn bosses against any reference to nooses

12/02/2011
Objects can become powerful symbols. That’s certainly true of nooses, which black Americans see as infamous reminders of a past in which lynchings were relatively common, especially in the South. That’s why you must instruct supervisors and managers: Any reference to hanging, ropes or nooses is absolutely forbidden in the workplace.

Ohio’s minimum wage rises to $7.70 per hour

12/02/2011

Effective Jan. 1, 2012, Ohio’s state minimum wage rises from $7.40 per hour to $7.70 per hour. The minimum wage for tipped employees increases to $3.85 per hour. Employers must still ensure that tipped workers’ wages and tips add up to the state’s new minimum wage of $7.70.

Follow FMLA’s new job-protection timetables

12/02/2011
Do you assign light-duty work to some employees returning from FMLA leave? If so, here’s a warning: You can’t cut off their job-protection rights by counting light-duty work time against their FMLA entitlement, according to the most recent FMLA regulations.

Does your action seem sleazy? Reconsider

12/02/2011
Employers are technically allowed to terminate employees who don’t turn in their paperwork within 15 days of going on FMLA leave. But doing so under all circumstances may be a mistake, especially if the employee had a good reason for the delay.

After hours: How to regulate employees’ off-duty behavior

11/29/2011
Employers can regulate what employees do away from work—but only within narrow limits. There are often good reasons to. Some off-duty acts reflect poorly on employers, raise insurance costs and create conflicts of interest. Here’s how to make the call.