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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.

Dauphin County bans the box

12/01/2015
Dauphin County has announced plans to join the ranks of municipalities that will no longer ask applicants about their criminal histories on job applications.

Pennsylvania bill would allow paying staff via debit cards

12/01/2015
A proposal by Pennsylvania State Sen. Don White, chairman of the Banking and Insurance Committee, would allow employers to pay employees with debit cards rather than paychecks. The legislation would require granting employees free access to all of their wages.

Proof required to support discrimination claim

12/01/2015
Just because a fired worker and his boss are of different races doesn’t mean discrimination has occurred.

Petty annoyances aren’t reason enough to sue

12/01/2015
Some employees seem to believe they are owed a perfect workplace, free of all stress. They’re wrong.

Act fast to address employee’s request for ADA disability accommodation

12/01/2015
Never indefinitely delay addressing a disability accommodation request. In fact, you should make a decision as quickly as possible so the employee can’t accuse you of failure to accommodate through inaction.

Single comment not enough to form basis of discrimination lawsuit

12/01/2015
A single, isolated comment—especially if the speaker isn’t a co-worker or supervisor—isn’t sufficient grounds for alleging discrimination. Complaining about it doesn’t amount to protected activity.

How not to handle harassment against a man

12/01/2015
Consider this central Pennsylvania case that is going to trial soon. A judge has concluded that not only can a man be sexually harassed, but he may be due punitive damages for his suffering.

OK to require call-off, even with FMLA

12/01/2015
Employers are free to set neutral call-off policies that punish even FMLA-protected absences. Just make sure you enforce your rules fairly and consistently. Don’t punish some employees but not others.

‘Tis the season to be jolly … but careful with parties, gifts, bonuses

11/10/2015
It’s that time of year again—time to spread a little holiday cheer … and think about the potential legal consequences of doing so.

HR data security in the spotlight

11/03/2015
Don’t let your employees’ information become the target of the next high-profile data breach. Here’s what you should know before contracting with a cloud vendor.