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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.

City of Brotherly Love rates high for LGBT rights

12/23/2014
Philadelphia scored a perfect 100 in the Human Rights Campaign’s annual rankings of American cities with local laws and policies that protect lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people from discrimination.

Beware firing right after EEOC complaint

12/23/2014
Here’s a warning on discharge timing: If you happen to make the final termination decision right after the employee files an EEOC charge, timing alone may be enough to send the case to trial.

When employees miss meal breaks, know how to handle pay

12/05/2014
In many businesses, employees occasionally must work through their regularly scheduled meal breaks. When this occurs, employers must either provide another time slot for their breaks or pay employees for the time worked. To properly handle meal breaks, employers must have a system in place that allows them to know when an employee is working through a meal break so that the time can be credited properly.

Disaster and pandemic planning for employers: A primer

12/05/2014
Having even a basic plan in place will help if and when the unthinkable strikes.

Make it easy to complain about harassment, bias

12/05/2014
Employers that give a way for em­­ployees to complain about harassment or discrimination have already won half the battle. That will help prevent many lawsuits in cases where the harasser is a co-worker and the employee never gave the employer a chance to stop the harassment.

No accommodation request, no unemployment benefits

12/05/2014
Some employees who quit for health reasons may be entitled to unemployment compensation. But that’s only true if they first give their employers a chance to consider possible accommodations.

Employee complained in the past? Keep that info from new supervisor

12/05/2014
Here’s an easy way to stop retaliation lawsuits: If an employee has complained in the past about harassment, discrimination or other legal wrongs, make sure that information stays confidential.

Remind managers and supervisors: No comments about pregnancy, family planning

12/05/2014
When it comes to pregnancy announcements, the only appropriate response is a hearty “Con­­grat­­u­­lations!” Keep your thoughts on family size, birth control and other pregnancy-related concerns to yourself and warn others to follow suit.

No matter who says it, there’s one word you should always ban from your workplace

12/05/2014
Here’s something to consider when punishing employees for the use of racial or ethnic slurs: Don’t think that one race can use a term, but that another cannot.

Lawsuit for guard who took a knife, got the ax

12/05/2014
Pittsburgh security firm Capital Asset Protection can look forward to an age discrimination from a 70-year-old former security guard who was hailed as a hero for helping to end a violent rampage at a high school—and then lost his job.