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

Ohio

FMLA eligibility: How serious is that serious health condition?

04/05/2010
One of the trickiest parts of administering FMLA benefits is figuring out just whether an employee’s health condition qualifies for leave. Who decides, and how?

AK Steel sues former employees for stealing trade secrets

04/05/2010
West Chester-based AK Steel has filed suit against three former employees in Butler County Court, alleging that they stole company secrets when they went to work for a competitor.

Toledo-area BP refinery hit with OSHA fines

04/05/2010
OSHA has levied more than $3 million in fines against BP North America and BP-Husky for violations at their plant in Oregon, Ohio. The fines result from a September 2009 inspection that revealed 42 willful violations of OSHA codes and 20 serious violations.

Lowe’s to offer free employee health screening

04/05/2010
Home-improvement giant Lowe’s is offering free health screening to its employees. It also recently announced that it will fully cover heart surgery costs at the Cleveland Clinic for any Lowe’s employee (or family member) from anywhere in the U.S. and Canada.

Ignoring complaint won’t make it go away

04/05/2010

It’s tempting to ignore the constant gripes of a serial complainer. But that won’t make the problem go away. Be ready for possible lawsuits by investigating, deciding what happened, disciplining if necessary and documenting the whole process.

Patience a winning virtue when employee sues pro se

04/05/2010
Some employees don’t let the lack of a real case stand in their way. They’re going to sue—even if they have to act as their own lawyers. If an employee decides to proceed pro se—without an attorney—be patient. Trust that the case will end up being dismissed.

Plenty of reasons to fire him? Ex-employee probably won’t get unemployment

04/05/2010
Employees are entitled to unemployment compensation only if they lose their jobs because of things over which they have little or no control. On the other hand, employees get no benefits if they’re terminated for improper conduct as defined by the employer.

Tighten up attendance policies, or get ready for an unemployment comp hit

04/05/2010

Here’s added incentive to have crystal-clear attendance policies: Employees who are terminated for violating unclear or confusing attendance rules may end up collecting unemployment compensation payments. Here’s why: Former employees can successfully argue that they were terminated through no fault of their own if they can show that the attendance policy was difficult to understand and comply with.

Pull up a chair: You must have ADA accommodations talk with disabled employees

04/05/2010
Here’s one of the most common mistakes employers make when managing employees with disabilities. They know that generally, the employer gets to choose the reasonable accommodation. But what they don’t realize is that simply unilaterally declaring an accommodation won’t pass muster under the ADA.

Fighting for disabled, EEOC takes on churches

04/05/2010
For several months, the EEOC has been aggressively going to court on behalf of disabled employees. Their successful litigation has paved the way for more disability lawsuits against religious organizations that employ laypersons.