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Pennsylvania

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.

Understaffed HR department is no excuse for flubbing FMLA compliance

04/03/2018
Is your HR office short-handed? That could spell big trouble, especially if supervisors have to handle personnel matters without HR’s help. Short-staffed or not, make sure bosses know they must consult HR on key employment law issues.

Beware backlash when blaming the victim

04/03/2018
Employee assistance programs can be useful for workers facing stress or other challenges. EAP counseling is supposed to be confidential, which means that, except under very rare and unusual safety-related circumstances, information uncovered by the EAP should never be used against the worker.

Surprise lawsuit? Check EEOC paperwork

04/03/2018
If your organization has been served with a discrimination lawsuit, one of the first steps you should take is to check any paperwork from the EEOC or other discrimination agencies. It’s especially important if you don’t recall a particular complaint, such as age discrimination or sexual harassment, having come up earlier.

Pennsylvania prepares on its own to address overtime salary test

03/13/2018
The issue: Was an employee improperly classified as exempt instead of nonexempt? At stake: The possibility of being awarded back overtime pay for hours worked in excess of 40 per week.

Beware claims of intentional infliction of emotional distress

03/13/2018

You should thoroughly train all managers and supervisors on how to treat disabled employees. A worker with a disability who is badly mistreated may be able to claim intentional infliction of emotional distress in Pennsylvania.

He who does the hiring should also do the firing

03/13/2018

If possible, the same manager who made the hiring decision should also make the firing decision. That’s because presumably a manager wouldn’t hire someone knowing they belonged to an obvious protected classification and then turn around and fire that person because of that status.