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Pennsylvania

Outsourced staff’s race doesn’t prove bias

05/24/2012

Ordinarily, when employees claim their terminations were because of race or other protected characteristics, they try to prove discrimination by showing they were replaced by workers outside their protected class. But if the employer outsourced the work, the racial, sexual or other characteristics of the employees now performing the jobs isn’t relevant.

Before approving discipline, check last review

05/07/2012
When a supervisor recommends discipline or anything else that could be viewed as an adverse employment action, be sure to check the employee’s latest evaluation before you approve it. If what the boss says is currently going on appears inconsistent with the evaluation, find out why.

Cops: Accountant skims $333K over course of 10 years

05/01/2012
It took 10 years, but an accounting employee of Hershey Entertainment & Resorts managed to sock away a tidy nest egg totaling more than $333,000. The only trouble, according to police and prosecutors: She built her savings account by embezzling the funds from her employer.

Categorize reasons why you impose employee discipline

05/01/2012
You probably know you must document all disciplinary actions. Take that a step further by categorizing the discipline.

Where can I find required posters?

04/24/2012
Q. We’ve received differing information on exactly what notices we’re legally supposed to post in our office. Where can I find a reliable listing?

How long before we should convert temp staff to employee status?

04/24/2012

Q. Is there a law (or advisable benchmark) regarding how long we can hire temporary staff before they must be either hired on a permanent basis or released?

Can FMLA leave cover routine tardiness?

04/24/2012
Q. Some of our employees routinely ask to use FMLA when they are five or 10 minutes late. It’s a scheduling nightmare and hurts morale. Does the FMLA cover employees who are consistently tardy?

What are the rules on giving truthful references about former employees?

04/24/2012
Q. An employer asked us for a job verification on an employee we fired. The request includes a written consent form from the worker allowing the query. Can I release any and all information regarding the former employee’s history with us?

After accident in company car, can we recover insurance deductible using payroll deductions?

04/24/2012

Q. We have a fleet of company cars. If an employee is at fault in an accident, is it legal for us to require reimbursement for the $500 deductible by reducing his pay over a period of three or four pay cycles?

Pittsburgh YMCA execs allege gender-, race-based pay bias

04/24/2012

Four female executives with the Pittsburgh-area YMCA are suing the nonprofit, claiming they are paid less than their male counterparts and in some cases, even less than their subordinates. The four all say the pay inequities are due to gender, and one contends race bias is a factor.