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

Pennsylvania

Don’t ‘game the system’ to favor one race over another

02/13/2019
Trying to manipulate an otherwise neutral hiring or promotion process can backfire.

Welcome aboard! Never mind! Document why you rescinded job offer

02/13/2019
Employers that tell an applicant she’s hired and then yank the offer should be prepared to give a legitimate, business-related reason. Carefully document the reason in case the applicant later sues.

You could be liable for disability bias even if ADA accommodation denial was legitimate

02/13/2019
Don’t get overconfident because you turned down an employee’s request for an ADA accommodation that you sincerely believed was unnecessary. You can still be sued—and you might lose!

Remind staff: Contractors aren’t employees

02/13/2019
The more control you exert, the more likely your organization will be on the hook as the employer in any lawsuit.

Pittsburgh jury awards $3 million in bias case

02/13/2019
A scientist who was fired from her job at Pittsburgh Plate Glass has won a $3 million verdict against her former employer.

Break the FMLA shield: Document when you began considering discipline

01/23/2019
An employee may think taking FMLA leave will prevent serious discipline such as being terminated. That strategy won’t work if you can show the disciplinary process had already begun before she asked for FMLA leave.

Don’t let disability stop legitimate discipline

01/23/2019
It’s reasonable to worry that disciplining an employee who is disabled might trigger a lawsuit. Don’t let those kinds of concerns dissuade you from otherwise legitimate discipline. Courts general allow employers great leeway to punish employees who seem to genuinely deserve it.

Fed contractor settles, was accused of hiring bias

01/07/2019
To settle allegations of systemic hiring discrimination, Coastal International Security, Inc. agreed to pay $409,947 in back wages, plus interest.

Alleged tip skimming prompts DOL lawsuit in Lansdowne, Pa.

01/07/2019
The U.S. Department of Labor has sued the owner of the Empire Diner & Restaurant in Lansdowne, Pennsylvania, after an investigation found willful violations of the federal minimum wage, overtime and recordkeeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Sometimes, delayed firing won’t stop retaliation claim

01/07/2019
Generally, when a worker claims he was fired for engaging in protected activity, the sooner after the protected activity the discharge occurred, the more likely a court will find that the firing was retaliation. But waiting to terminate doesn’t help if you still reference an earlier event.