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Pennsylvania

Think long and hard before firing harassment victim for fighting back

04/01/2015
Sometimes, an employee may feel as if she has no viable option except to fight back against a bully or harasser. That puts you, as the employer, in a difficult spot. Do you launch a full-scale investigation, try to sort out which employee is telling the truth and then fire the one you believe most culpable? If that’s the employee who physically struck the other, you may be making the wrong choice.

Pa. governor calls for ban on bias against LGBT employees

04/01/2015
Gov. Tom Wolf has asked the legislature to send him a bill providing protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees.

Function–not treatments–decides disability

04/01/2015
Carefully consider whether an employee really qualifies as disabled before providing reasonable accommodations. Don’t focus solely on the number of treatments an injury or condition requires. Focus instead on whether the condition substantially impairs a life function.

Don’t let xenophobia harm innocent employee

04/01/2015
It’s no secret: International news often upsets Americans, especially since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. But frustration about terrorism and other threats shouldn’t be allowed to spill over in the workplace, especially if another staff member is unfairly singled out for abuse based on nothing more than his national origin or religion.

Employee of Philly nonprofit confesses to killing boss

03/11/2015
A co-worker has confessed to shooting and killing the executive director of a Philadelphia nonprofit while she waited for her morning bus.

Is it double-dipping to receive both workers’ comp and Social Security benefits?

03/03/2015
Q. Can an injured worker obtain both workers’ compensation benefits and Social Security disability benefits at the same time?

Can missed quotas add up to docked pay?

03/03/2015
Q. Can an employee’s pay be docked for failing to meet a production quota?

What is the most effective way of keeping a former employee from giving away trade secrets?

03/03/2015
Q. As an employer, what can I do to avoid unauthorized disclosure of sensitive company information when an employee departs?

Can repeated, petty complaints to HR be considered some form of harassment?

03/03/2015
Q. A more senior employee was recently passed over for a promotion because a newer employee is clearly more qualified. Now that this person is their boss, the more senior employee has filed several petty complaints against her. Although we are aware that these complaints are completely invalid, we in HR have to take it seriously. But it is a shame for the new supervisor to have the complaints piling up in her file. Is this considered harassment?

Why you need a workplace gambling policy

03/03/2015
Most employers fail to specifically prohibit workplace gambling, and many sanction the behavior as harmless fun. Don’t bet on it.