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

Pennsylvania

Ensure fair treatment after return to work

04/30/2018
The ADA and the Pennsylvania Human Rights Act protect disabled workers from harassment based on their disability. Make sure everyone, including co-workers and supervisors, understands they cannot punish a disabled employee for taking leave.

Document all efforts to find ADA accommodations

04/26/2018
If an employee tells you he has a new medical condition that qualifies as an ADA disability, document all discussions you have about possible accommodations.

Worker taking high road can still quit & sue

04/26/2018
Typically, workers sue after being fired or otherwise subjected to an adverse employment action such as a demotion. But sometimes, aggrieved employees can quit and still sue, alleging that their working conditions were so severe that they had no choice but to leave.

Jail for law firm embezzler who couldn’t ‘Let It Go’

04/09/2018
An accountant for the Valley Forge office of the Chartwell Law Firm saw an opportunity to take money and just couldn’t hold back anymore.

2nd Circuit rules: Anti-gay bias is sex discrimination

04/03/2018
The 2nd Circuit joins the 7th Circuit in ruling that sexual orientation is protected from discrimination, a position contrary to that taken recently by the 11th Circuit.

Jenkintown, Pa. pub cooked books in addition to meals

04/03/2018
The owner of Drake Tavern in Jenkintown, Pa. will serve up $25,902 in back wages and an equal amount in liquidated damages to 50 employees after investigators from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division discovered that managers consistently altered employee time card.

Document details to show why discipline differed

04/03/2018
If you hand out different discipline for two employees who commit similar violations, make sure you document exactly why. That way, if you are later sued, you can explain the difference.

Court punts on blaming employer for subordinate’s bias

04/03/2018
The 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals, which covers Pennsylvania employers, has dodged deciding whether a subordinate’s bias can be imputed to the employer.

Documented facts, not mere allegations, are what it takes to win cases

04/03/2018
Employers that take the time to document poor performance with solid, objective facts rarely lose discrimination cases. That’s because being able to explain exactly why you had to terminate a worker for poor performance tends to show that discrimination probably wasn’t a factor.

Courts have little patience for inflexible “a rule is a rule” policies

04/03/2018
Sometimes, you have to take a step back and consider the consequences before enforcing a rule against an employee. Take, for example, a strict call-off rule that allows for no deviation.