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

Pennsylvania

Philly airport Legal Sea Foods wraps up odd pay policy

08/23/2011
Sometimes unique workplace situations lead to creative solutions, but those solutions aren’t always, well, legal. Legal Sea Foods’ location at the Philadelphia International Airport has two positions that apparently exist nowhere else in the chain: silverware rollers.

Always have witness to entire termination process

08/23/2011
To avoid needless litigation, make sure someone else sits in on termination meetings.

Document firing decision at the time you make it

08/23/2011
Make sure you document exactly when and why you decided to terminate an employee, even if you must wait until later to tell the employee.

No more bonuses just for showing up on time

08/23/2011
The South Jersey Port Corporation, which operates shipping terminals on the Delaware River near Philadelphia, has heeded New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s call for fiscal austerity by taking a heretofore unusual step: It will no longer pay bonuses for not being late.

Hershey hit with protests by immigrant temp workers

08/23/2011
The students thought they were signing up for a cultural exchange program in which they would travel to Pennsylvania to work and experience life in Hershey. Instead they ended up working in warehouses preparing Hershey products for shipping. Along with members of the AFL-CIO, they recently protested outside the warehouse facilities.

Common sense prevails: Simply belonging to protected class doesn’t justify bias lawsuit

08/23/2011
Good news if you have ever worried about a lawsuit from an employee who was passed over for a promotion in favor of someone outside the employee’s protected class. While it’s impossible to guarantee you will never be sued, courts generally look favorably on properly run, fair hiring and promotion processes.

That’s not a contract! Feel free to make hiring contingent on passing background check

08/23/2011

It’s common to tell a job applicant he’s hired—as long as a background check doesn’t reveal anything that would disqualify him. But some applicants think such an offer creates a contractual relationship. Under most circumstances, it doesn’t.

Is that employee really disabled? Making the ADA call requires careful analysis

08/23/2011
Just because an employee takes FMLA leave to deal with a serious health condition doesn’t mean he’s disabled under the ADA—and therefore entitled to reasonable accommodations when he returns to work. Before jumping to the conclusion that a returning employee is entitled to whatever accommodation he requests, ask yourself whether he is, in fact, disabled. What counts is his condition at the time he requests the accommodation.

Experience isn’t the only valid job qualification

08/23/2011

The job candidate with the most experience might also be the oldest applicant. But that doesn’t mean you always have to pick him. You can use other factors as long as none of them hints at age discrimination. The key is to maintain impeccable records showing how and why you chose the candidate you did.

When can we fire for offensive body odor?

08/01/2011
Q. We have a staff member with body odor so bad that other staff members have complained and even threatened to leave the company. The employee has been disciplined several times and required to go home without pay until she agrees to comply with our grooming code. At what point can we legally terminate her?