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Pennsylvania

Beware basing layoff on inconsistent ratings

05/31/2016
Here’s a reminder that it’s not always foolproof to base a reduction-in-force on rankings of employee performance.

Act fast to shut down bosses who insult, demean and harass their subordinates

05/10/2016
Are you hearing complaints that a particular manager is insulting subordinates to the point where it might be considered harassment? Don’t ignore the situation.

When it comes to discipline, details matter–and so does consistency and fairness

05/03/2016
Employers that discipline workers consistently and fairly hardly ever get sued. On the rare occasions they do face a lawsuit, they don’t often lose.

6 issues to consider when updating your employee handbook

05/02/2016
An out-of-date employee handbook is more of a liability than an asset.

Wolf issues executive orders combating LGBT discrimination

05/02/2016
Gov. Tom Wolf grew tired of waiting for the state legislature to send him a bill adding lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people to the protected classes listed in the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act.

EEOC settles GINA lawsuit with mining company

05/02/2016
Joy Mining Machinery in Pittsburgh, has agreed to settle an EEOC lawsuit that claimed the company’s hiring practices violated the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act.

Whistleblowers may not have common-law protection

05/02/2016
Pennsylvania workers fired after reporting safety violations may not have a common-law wrongful discharge claim if they didn’t have a specific duty to report the safety problems.

Court losing patience with baseless lawsuits

05/02/2016
Increasingly, courts have been tossing out cases early on when it’s clear the former employee isn’t sure exactly what she thinks the employer did, but just assumes it was some sort of discrimination.

Discharge for racial slur upheld in Philadelphia’s ongoing Fox 29 lawsuit

05/02/2016
In a notorious case involving a Philadelphia TV station, a reporter who used a racial slur during an editorial meeting has lost his bid to overturn a jury’s decision that his firing was not racially based.

Discharged for gross misconduct? Then employee isn’t entitled to COBRA coverage

05/02/2016
Generally, employers that provide health benefits must offer continuing COBRA coverage whenever an employee resigns or is terminated. But that requirement doesn’t apply if the employee was discharged for gross misconduct.