• The HR Specialist - Print Newsletter
  • HR Specialist: Employment Law
  • The HR Weekly

Pennsylvania

Employment Lawyer Network:
Pennsylvania

Susan K. Lessack (Editor)

Pepper Hamilton LLP
Pennsylvania Employment Law

LessackS@PepperLaw.com
(610) 640-7806

Click for Full Bio

Susan K. Lessack is a partner in the Berwyn and Philadelphia offices of Pepper Hamilton LLP. She concentrates her practice in employment counseling and employment litigation. Ms. Lessack’s experience includes counseling employers on matters related to compliance with federal and state labor and employment laws, counseling regarding employee discipline and terminations, conducting investigations of employee conduct, including harassment, training employers on their obligations under employment laws and litigation avoidance, and developing employment policies. She defends employers in litigation of employment discrimination claims, wrongful discharge claims, and claims under federal and state employment-related statutes, such as the Family and Medical Leave Act and the Pennsylvania Wage Payment and Collection Law.

When discussing ADA accommodations, track every offer and counter-offer

08/01/2018
If a worker refuses to accept an offered accommodation, the employer is free to end the accommodations process—which may even mean the employee loses her job.

Anti-harassment policy alone isn’t enough

08/01/2018
It goes without saying that every employer should have a robust policy prohibiting sexual harassment. But just having a policy isn’t enough.

Worker who quit wants old job back? Too bad

08/01/2018
Sometimes, workers quit without warning. Then, after cooling off, they may reconsider and ask to come back—in effect, “unresigning.” If you have already documented the original resignation, you don’t have to take the worker back and you generally won’t face liability for an adverse employment action.

Pennsylvania DLI proposal would more than double exempt threshold

07/10/2018
The Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry has submitted a proposed rule to amend the regulations that exempt executive, administrative and professional salaried workers from overtime requirements under Pennsylvania’s Minimum Wage Act of 1968.

Executive order bars salary inquiries for some state jobs

07/10/2018
Brandishing a plastic bag containing 79 cents, Gov. Tom Wolf announced an executive order barring most Pennsylvania government offices from asking for an applicant’s salary history during the hiring process.

OSHA inspectors beat a path to Bensalem, Pa. construction firm

07/10/2018
Strong Contractors in Bensalem, Pa. has become the go-to destination for OSHA inspectors. Since March 2017, they have descended on Strong worksites 14 times.

Judges reserve the option to reduce some huge jury awards

07/10/2018
Winning a discrimination suit over a lost promotion can cost an employer dearly—but all is not lost simply because a jury concludes the promotion was unfairly awarded.

Required security clearance doesn’t violate CHRIA

07/10/2018
The Pennsylvania Criminal History Records Information Act restricts how employers may use criminal records in hiring. That doesn’t mean employers cannot require a security clearance from an outside agency.

Employee passed on second-chance offer? That may rule out unemployment benefits

07/10/2018
Sending an employee home following a dispute or workplace error with instructions to think about the event doesn’t count as a discharge—it’s a second chance. Failing to return to work afterward then becomes a resignation, thus disqualifying the employee from receiving unemployment benefits.

Public-policy exception means at-will status doesn’t always apply

07/10/2018
A federal court interpreting Pennsylvania law has concluded that firing a worker for calling in a complaint to OSHA provides protection under the public-policy exception.