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Pennsylvania

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.

Former manager smells blood, files whistle-blower lawsuit

12/05/2014
The former billing manager for Abing­­ton Memorial Hospital in Mont­­gomery County, Pennsylvania, has filed a ­­whistle-blower suit against her former employer. She claims she was fired for alleging that the hospital lab mislabeled blood samples to increase the fees it could charge.

Immediately address every harassment complaint

12/05/2014
Don’t think that by ignoring obvious harassment, it will go away. More likely, the offensive be­­havior will escalate—and may even turn into a brawl or worse.

Before discipline, what should we document?

11/14/2014
Q. What documentation is necessary before disciplining an employee?

Comcast bill dispute allegedly costs customer his job

11/14/2014
Philadelphia-based Comcast’s much maligned customer service has taken another hit. This time a Cali­­f­or­­nia man claims a cable TV billing dispute caused him to lose his job with Price­­waterhouse­­Coopers.

How should we pay for weekend travel time?

10/31/2014
Q. How do you pay hourly employees who are traveling on a day that’s not considered a workday, like Saturday or Sunday? What if they normally have a 10-minute commute to the office but instead they have to go to the airport, which is an hour away?