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Pennsylvania

Should we report suspected domestic abuse?

06/29/2015
Q. There is an employee within our company who repeatedly comes into work with injuries obviously suffered at the hand of her spouse. As an employer, do we have an obligation to alert authorities about at-home physical abuse of an employee?

Are we liable for food poisoning that employee suffers while working out of town?

06/29/2015
Q. We have a question regarding our crews that work out of town and stay out for about four days. Can we be held liable if they get sick on a meal that was paid for by the company? We are thinking about paying a per diem instead to resolve this issue. If an employee is working on a road crew and takes off sick and stays in motel room, are we required to supply him the meal per diem?

What’s simmering under the surface of your workplace?

06/29/2015
There’s a long list of behaviors that can create a hostile, intimidating or offensive environment in the eyes of the law. Do you know everything that’s on it?

Hershey Med settles with fired cancer surgeon

06/29/2015
The Penn State Hershey Medical Center has agreed to settle a lawsuit alleging that a cancer surgeon was fired in retaliation for defending the rights of his secretary, who was fighting breast cancer.

$38.5M in punitive damages to Philly shooting victims

06/29/2015
A Philadelphia jury has awarded $38.5 million in punitive damages to the families of two Kraft Food employees who were shot to death by a co-worker in 2010.

From the Fox29 newsroom: Anchor loses on reverse bias

06/29/2015
A white news anchor at the Fox29 television station in Philadelphia has lost a long-simmering reverse discrimination lawsuit that began in 2007 when he was fired for using the N-word during a production meeting called to discuss a news story on the use of the racial slur in society.

Stick with same interview questions for all candidates

06/29/2015
Interviews are often critical for sorting through many apparently qualified job applicants, and it’s critical to properly handle the interview process. Be sure you treat candidates equally, asking the same interview questions of everyone.

Late returning from leave? No extension request? Feel free to fire

06/29/2015
Employers sometimes worry about terminating an employee who hasn’t showed up for work when her approved leave expires. That shouldn’t be a problem if you previously made it clear that it’s the employee’s responsibility to keep you updated with their status and to ask for an extension if necessary.

That stinks! Don’t tolerate co-worker efforts to provoke fragrance sensitivity

06/29/2015
Some employees are sensitive to various chemicals such as perfumes and other strong smells. Accom­­­­mo­­dat­­ing the problem can be difficult, but it’s necessary if the condition rises to the level of a disability.

Ensure physical tests are fair for women

06/29/2015
Some professions require applicants to prove a certain level of physical fitness. When employers demand passing a physical test as a qualification to be hired, they need to make sure that protected classes such as women don’t fail at rates that indicate the test has a disparate impact on otherwise qualified applicants.