• 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.

Disability and constructive discharge linked

11/02/2016
Disabled employees who quit when their employer refuses to consider possible reasonable accommodations may have a constructive discharge claim under the ADA.

Is use-it-or-lose-it vacation policy legal in Pa.?

10/07/2016
Q. Our company’s vacation policy says that terminated employees are not paid for vacation days that they accrued during their employment. Is that legal?

Can job offer be contingent on drug test?

10/07/2016
Q. Our Pennsylvania company wants to begin screening applicants for illegal drugs. Can we make job offers conditional on the results of a drug test?

Zika preparedness: Consider employee safety and legal issues

10/07/2016
As temperatures in the Northeast cool and mosquitos disappear until spring, the Zika virus may no longer be on people’s minds, but it should remain on your radar.

Unless you’re a church, beware religious training

10/07/2016
Think twice before requiring workers to participate in religiously oriented training. It may violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.

Reviews ran behind schedule? That’s not enough to justify a lawsuit

10/07/2016
Some employees seem to think they are owed a workplace that is perfectly fair and equitable all the time. Sadly, perfection isn’t possible.

Employee alleges bias against customers? Treat it like every other discrimination complaint

10/07/2016
When an employee is disciplined or otherwise punished for complaining that her employer is discriminating against certain customers, she can sue—and quite possibly win a large financial award.

Ensure early-out incentives are equitable

10/07/2016
Often before an employer implements a reduction in force, it may try to encourage employees to resign or retire by offering early-out incentives.

Compare planned discipline with previous incidents

09/16/2016
When it comes to discipline, the key is equitable enforcement. Otherwise, someone might sue.

Is it legal to dock nonexempts’ pay if they clock in late after breaks?

08/26/2016
Q. We give employees the choice of using two 10-minute breaks each day or combining them into one 20-minute lunch break. The employees are required to punch out and in for these breaks. Now, we have a policy that docks employees 15 minutes’ pay if they’re four or more minutes late returning from a break. Is this legal?