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

Ohio

One benefit of union contract: Lawsuits must be filed fast

01/11/2010

Here’s an upside to having a comprehensive collective-bargaining agreement: Employees who claim they were denied benefits they had been promised can’t sue under Ohio state contract law if the subject of the lawsuit is covered by the union contract.

Workers’ comp premiums dip for Ohio employers

01/11/2010

Ohio’s workers’ compensation premium reform effort appears to be working. According to the Bureau of Workers Compensation (BWC), half of Ohio’s private employers paid lower workers’ comp premiums in 2009 than in 2008.

OSHA cites grain processing plant

01/11/2010

OSHA has cited Minnesota-based Endres Processing LLC and its subsidiary Endres Processing Ohio for numerous hazards at the companies’ Upper Sandusky plant. Endres manufactures animal feed from unused dairy products. OSHA cited large amounts of dust in the plant as both a fire and breathing hazard.

Displaced workers get unemployment while in school

01/11/2010

Gov. Ted Strickland has expanded unemployment compensation to displaced workers who are attending school. Under the new plan, unemployed workers who are full-time students need not actively seek a job in order to receive UC benefits.

Can I legally refuse to hire job candidates who don’t share my political beliefs?

01/11/2010

Q. I run a small business and only want to employ people who are like-minded and share my core political values. Is it legal to refuse to hire a job candidate because of his or her political beliefs?

Is there any way to keep staff from speaking with former employee’s attorney?

01/11/2010

Q. A former employee recently sued my business for discrimination. A few current employees have told me that her lawyer has contacted them seeking information. Is there anything I can do to stop this?

Can I get online answers to pay questions?

01/11/2010

Q. Can you steer me toward any online information about how to correctly pay employees’ wages?

What can we do? Employee may have been faking need for FMLA leave

01/11/2010

Q. An employee went out of FMLA leave three weeks ago to undergo and recover from knee surgery. Last night, a reliable and trusted employee spotted him at the local YMCA playing a game of pick-up basketball. We now have serious doubts about the validity of his FMLA leave. Is there anything we can do?

Legal compliance starts at the very beginning—with hiring

01/05/2010

Protecting yourself and your organization from lawsuits starts the minute you decide to hire someone. Potential lawsuit land mines line your path. To stay out of court, build your hiring process around these principles:

Fashion tip: Don’t overdo grooming and dress standards

01/05/2010

If you have a strict grooming policy or are considering implementing one, make sure you first understand what you can and cannot require employees to wear or what grooming standards you can legally enforce. Employees can and do sue when their employers try to impose rules that interfere with religious beliefs, reflect sexual stereotypes or are simply demeaning.