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Ohio

Strickland seeks to downsize by offering early retirement

03/01/2008

Gov. Ted Strickland has directed state agencies to draft proposals for offering early retirement incentives to trim their staffs and save money. Spokesman Keith Dailey said Strickland is concerned about the possibility of a recession and its potential impact on the state budget …

Paid sick leave proposal put before legislature

03/01/2008

A proposal that would require most Ohio companies to give employees at least seven paid sick days each year is headed to the state Legislature under the Healthy Families Act …

Results of this test: Auto industry to pay $1.6 mil

03/01/2008

The courts look unfavorably on literacy tests for positions that don’t directly require writing skills, as seen by a recent U.S. District Court decision for the Southern District of Ohio. The court awarded $1.6 million to 700 black workers who were screened out of apprenticeship programs at Ford Motor Company, Visteon Corp. and Automotive Components Holdings …

Springfield truck plant hopes to benefit from GM deal

03/01/2008

Workers at the Springfield plant of International Truck and Engine Corp., a subsidiary of Illinois-based Navistar, are hoping to attract hundreds of new jobs through a tentative agreement to acquire General Motors Corp.’s medium-duty truck business …

Ohio Supreme Court places limits on public-Policy terminations

03/01/2008

In a dramatic reversal, the Ohio Supreme Court significantly limited the reach of its earlier decision in Coolidge v. Riverdale School Systems. That 2003 decision led attorneys and employers to conclude that it violated Ohio state public policy to terminate any employee who was eligible to receive temporary total disability payments under the Ohio Workers’ Compensation Act …

When romance goes bad: Protecting the company from the fallout

03/01/2008

When office romances sour, scorned lovers often use Title VII to allege that their former lover was a sexual harasser. And even if the lovers are happy, workplace romances can cause problems in the office or on the shop floor. If co-workers feel a love affair results in favoritism, the relationship may lead to charges of conflict of interest, harassment, retaliation or discrimination …

Migraines, job transfer and the FMLA

03/01/2008

Q. Our receptionist has been certified as eligible for intermittent FMLA leave for migraines. When she calls in sick without notice, it really disrupts our workplace; we have to pull someone from another position to cover her duties. Can I transfer her to another position where we can better accommodate her absences? …

Paying back ‘Borrowed’ vacation leave

03/01/2008

Q. We allow our employees to “borrow” unearned vacation time. Our policy provides that if employees quit or are terminated with a “negative” vacation balance, the amount that they owe us for the vacation time taken before it was earned will be deducted from their final pay. Can we do this? …

Fluctuating workweek

03/01/2008

Q. My work hours fluctuate a lot depending upon the flow of work. To help manage its cash flow, my employer asked me to sign an agreement where I would receive a set salary each workweek regardless of the number of hours I work. In weeks where I work more than 40 hours, I am paid half-time for overtime hours, instead of time and a half. Can my employer do this? My position is nonexempt …

Consider 360º evaluations to catch supervisor-Bias problems

02/01/2008

Sometimes, it’s hard to see what’s actually going on down at the frontline supervisor level. A rogue manager may be spouting all sorts of garbage and getting away with it—until he fires someone who ultimately sues. Then, it may be too late to save the company from a costly jury verdict. One way to spot potential problems is with a simple HR evaluation technique—the so-called 360-degree evaluation …